The generation born between 1997 and 2010 is the first generation in modern history who score lower on standardized academic tests than the one before it, despite increased school attendance, expanded public investment and access to technology. The declines cut across attention, memory, literacy, numeracy, executive function, and general IQ. That’s not just one weak spot. That’s the whole darn dashboard blinking at once. And to make matters worse, most of these young people are overconfident about how smart they are.
One major structural change distinguishes today’s classrooms from those of prior generations: the rapid and largely unregulated expansion of educational technology (EdTech). Digital devices now occupy a significant share of instructional time, assessment,
homework, and student attention.
“We’re facing challenges more complex and far-reaching than any in human history—from overpopulation to evolving diseases to moral drift,” he told Fortune. “Now, more than ever, we need a generation able to grapple with nuance, hold multiple truths in tension, and creatively tackle problems that are stumping the greatest adult minds of today.”
Source:
Luke Willson: Idiocracy by Mike Judge, 2006
fortune.com, Sasha Rogelberg, 21.02.2026
vice.com, Ashley Fike, 09.02.2026
nypost.com, Jeanne Erickson, 07.02.2026
Written Testimony Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath 15.01.2026