Neuroscientist Calls for Cutting Screen Use in Schools to Protect Kids' Cognitive Abilities

Neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath is calling for a drastic decrease in screen time within educational settings, asserting that technology is detrimental to children's cognitive growth. In his book 'The Digital Delusion', he argues that today's youth exhibit lower cognitive abilities than earlier generations, referencing declining IQ scores and international assessments since approximately 2000. Horvath attributes this trend to the surge in educational technology, with the UK edtech sector generating £6.5bn annually and the US market valued at $400bn. He notes that the shift to laptops in classrooms accelerated during the Covid-19 pandemic, with many institutions not returning to conventional teaching methods. Citing Pisa data, he reveals that students using computers over six hours daily scored 66 points lower than their peers who did not use them. Nevertheless, experts like Rose Luckin (UCL Knowledge Lab) warn against equating correlation with causation, suggesting moderate device usage can yield better outcomes than none. Daisy Christodoulou (No More Marking) acknowledges society's casual attitude toward technology's effects but remains hopeful about its role in upper secondary education. Dylan Wiliam (UCL Institute of Education) stresses the complexity of determining edtech's effectiveness, which is highly context-dependent. This discussion unfolds amidst global initiatives advocating for smartphone restrictions in schools and social media limitations for those under 16.