As the new school year begins, the debate over digital versus analog learning is intensifying, with more school districts reconsidering the role of devices in the classroom. This shift follows a significant decline in math and reading test scores that occurred after schools ditched traditional textbooks in favor of screens.
The Loss of Social Skills
Professors Sarah Schneider Kavanagh and Katie A. Danielson argue that elementary school has always taught more than just the "three R’s." In a physical classroom setting, children learn to wait for others to express ideas, negotiate disagreements, and explain their thinking. While adaptive software for individualized instruction offers benefits, it comes with significant trade-offs.
When students work through lessons alone on a device, they miss out on hearing different ways of thinking. This collective learning is especially vital in the AI era, as distinctly human skills like attention span, curiosity, judgment, empathy, and collaboration become increasingly valuable.
Cognitive Decline and Legislative Backlash
Neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath has warned that Gen Z is less cognitively capable than previous generations, despite unprecedented technology access. He notes that Gen Z is the first generation in modern history to score lower on standardized tests than the one before it, citing a stark correlation between these scores and time spent on computers in school.
A growing backlash is now taking shape. Lawmakers in at least 17 U.S. states have introduced or debated legislation regarding classroom screens as of July. Earlier this year, the Los Angeles Unified school district moved to ban in-school screen use for students from preschool through first grade and restricted it for older students.
“Children don’t need school to become more like the digital world,” the professors wrote. “They need a place designed for other aims, such as conversation instead of consumption and collaboration instead of personalization.”
