Gen Z is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents but Denmark has a solution

Nearly every parent hopes their child will be better off than they are: smarter, more secure, and more well-adjusted. Many parents see this as a stamp of successful parenting, but something has changed for children growing up today. While younger generations are known for their empathy, one neuroscientist argues their cognitive capabilities are lagging behind those of previous generations, a claim that remains debated. Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, a teacher turned cognitive neuroscientist who focuses on human learning, testified before the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee in January 2026 about concerns over cognitive development in children. In his testimony, he said, “A sad fact that our generation has to face is this: our kids are less cognitively capable than we were at their age. Since we’ve been standardizing and measuring cognitive development since the late 1800s, every generation has outperformed their parents, and that’s exactly what we want. We want sharper kids.” Student smiling in a classroom, working on a laptop. Photo credit: Canva So what’s actually causing the decline? Horvath explains that the reason this happens is that each generation has gone to school longer than the previous generation. Gen Z is no exception to the longer duration of time spent in school, but, according to Horvath, they’re the first ones who aren’t meeting this normal increase in cognitive development. The cognitive neuroscientist links the decline to the widespread introduction of screens in the classroom, which started around 2010. “Across 80 countries, if you look at the data, once countries adopt digital technology widely in schools, performance goes down significantly. To the point where kids who use computers about five hours per day in school for learning purposes will score over two-thirds of a standard deviation less than kids who rarely or never touch tech at school,” Horvath reveals. In most cases, the decline in performance doesn’t result in better strategies. The neuroscientist shares that the standardized testing has been adjusted to accommodate lower expectations and shorter attention spans. This is an approach that educators, scientists, and researchers went to Capitol Hill to express wasn’t working. But not every country is taking the approach of lowering standards to meet lowered cognitive ability. Denmark went in the opposite direction when it realized its students were slipping behind. Denmark decided to do something about it France24 interviewed educators in Denmark following its seemingly novel approach to students struggling with cognitive development. Since the beginning of the 2025/2026 school year, Denmark has not only been having students turn in their cellphones, but they’ve also invested heavily in physical books and scaled back digital learning. Danes went old school by bringing back physical textbooks, workbooks, and writing assignments. Early reactions have been positive, and even some students say they appreciate the countrywide shift in educational approach. “I think the biggest issue has been that, because we kind of got rid of the books and started using screens instead, that we’ve noticed that a lot of the kids have trouble concentrating, so it’s pretty easy to swipe with three fingers over to a different screen and have a video game going, for example, in class,” Copenhagen English teacher Islam Dijab told France 24. Now, instead of computers being part of every lesson, Danish schools are using computers more sparingly and with more supervision. One student says that it has been nice not having screen time at school because she loves to read and write. But it wasn’t just a lack of attention span. Children were also developing low self-esteem and poor mental health due to the amount of time spent on devices. And the effort goes beyond the classroom Concerns about the impact of screens on teens’ brains have prompted a nationwide change in Denmark that extends outside of the classroom. Afterschool activities are eliminating or extremely limiting electronic use. There is also a national No Phone Day that encourages everyone to put away their devices for the day, and Imran Rashid, a physician and digital health expert, has pushed for a ban on social media use for children under 15. In November 2025, the Danish government agreed to a plan to do just that, and a draft bill is now expected to take effect in July 2027 if parliament passes it. The no-phone movement in Denmark is a nationwide effort that hopes to right the ship before another generation feels the effects. This article originally appeared last year. It has been updated.