Neuroscientist Challenges the Rise of Educational Technology in Schools

Neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath argues that the rapid expansion of screen-based tools in classrooms is undermining children’s cognitive development.

The Guardian

Since the early 2000s, Horvath notes a decline in international test scores despite longer school attendance. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of one-to-one devices; in the United States, 88 % of districts now provide each student with a computer, and the UK’s edtech market generated roughly £6.5 billion in annual turnover. Horvath attributes these trends to a “meteoric rise of educational technology” that has become entrenched in curricula.

The Guardian

• Global edtech industry valued at about $400 billion (£295 billion).

The Guardian

• U.S. school districts: 88 % have one-to-one computer programs.

The Guardian

• PISA surveys (2012, 2015, 2018) recorded student-reported screen time and showed a negative correlation between higher daily device use and test scores.

The Guardian

Horvath emphasizes that reducing screen exposure is essential for “deep, transferable knowledge.”

The Guardian

Other experts caution against conflating correlation with causation. Rose Luckin, emerita professor at UCL’s Knowledge Lab, says that while many edtech products were marketed without solid evidence, this does not make all technology problematic. Daisy Christodoulou, director of education at No More Marking, notes a growing “corrective” attitude toward edtech and remains optimistic about its potential in upper secondary education, especially in the United States where screen use is more pervasive. Dylan Wiliam, emeritus professor at UCL’s Institute of Education, concurs that existing studies cannot substantiate causal claims of harm.

The Guardian

• “The more time students spent on screens at school, the further their scores fell,” — Jared Cooney Horvath — Jared Cooney Horvath

The Guardian