Neuroscientists have identified Generation Z as the first generation in history to be less intelligent than their parents, and researchers have now pointed out possible reasons behind this decline.
Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, a former teacher turned neuroscientist, has claimed that people born between 1997 and 2010 (classified as Generation Z) are less intelligent due to their over-reliance on digital technology in school.
He added: “The human brain is not programmed to learn from short online video clips or to read short sentences summarizing longer books and complex ideas.”
The head of LME Global told the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on January 15, 2026 that Generation Z recorded the lowest levels of cognitive development since records began in the late 19th century.
For context, LMEGlobal is an organization that shares brain and behavior research with companies and schools.
Dr. Horvath’s research found that Generation Z has weaker problem-solving skills, a shorter attention span, and a decline in their math skills, which lowers their overall IQ. Data collected by the organization showed that cognitive abilities began to decline around 2010.
In an interview with New York PostDr. Horvath said the human brain is biologically programmed to learn from its environment and engage in deep study rather than scrolling through screens, adding: “Half a teenager’s day is spent staring at a screen.”
Other groups of experts who appeared before the US Congress agreed that screens disrupt the natural biological processes that develop deep understanding, memory and concentration.
In what appeared to be a critique of Generation Z’s perceived “overconfidence,” Dr. Horvath said, “The smarter people think, the dumber they actually are.”
The experts urged the US Congress to consider measures such as banning educational technology in schools to prevent what they described as a “social emergency.”
