Here's an Interesting Theory About Why Kids' Test Results Have Fallen to Their Lowest Point in Two Decades

"As teachers and professors reel over how generative AI is ruining education, one expert is suggesting that the true technological menace in the classroom has been staring us in the face for decades: laptops. It would explain, writes psychology professor at San Diego State University Jean M. Twenge in an opinion piece for The New York Times, why standardized test scores for American students have plunged to their lowest point in twenty years in 2023 and 2024."

""These days, nearly every middle and high school student - and a good number in the elementary grades as well - brings a laptop or tablet to school and uses it at home for homework," observed Tenge, who has been researching how smartphones affect academic performance, as well as our mental health generally, for nearly a decade. But "although it once seemed like a good idea to give every child his or her own device," Twenge added, "it's clear that those policies have been a failure.""

Laptops and tablets in schools have become pervasive across grade levels and at home. Standardized test scores in the United States fell to twenty-year lows in 2023–2024, with similar global declines among 15-year-olds in 2022. Schools often provide or require devices, which enables constant access to social media, email, and videos during class time. Empirical studies show students spend large portions of class on nonacademic activities. Policies that issued devices to every child have produced extensive evidence of disruption and poor academic outcomes.

Read at Futurism