Gen-Z is less intelligent than previous generations, neuroscientist claims

Gen-Z has been identified by neuroscientists as the first generation in history to be less intelligent than their parents and researchers have now pointed out the possible reasons behind the decline.

Former teacher-turned-neuroscientist Dr Jared Cooney Horvath has claimed that the people born between 1997 and 2010 (classified as Gen-Z) are less intelligent because of their over-reliance on digital technology in school.

He added, “The human brain isn’t wired to learn from short video clips online and reading brief sentences summarising larger books and complex ideas.”

The director of LME Global told the United States (U.S.) Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on January 15, 2026, that Gen-Z recorded the lowest levels in cognitive development since the records began in the late 1800s.

For context, LMEGlobal is an organisation that shares brain and behavioural research with businesses and schools.

Dr Horvath’s research found that Gen-Z has weaker problem-solving skills, shorter attention span, declining math-skills, thus decreasing their overall IQ. The data collected by the organisation showed that cognitive abilities began to decline around 2010.

In an interview with the New York Post, Dr Horvath said that the human brain is biologically programmed to learn from its surroundings and deep studies instead of flipping through screens, adding, “A teenager’s half time of the day is spent staring at the screen.”

Other groups of experts who appeared in the U.S. Congress agreed that screens disrupt natural biological processes that build deep understanding, memory and focus.

In what appeared to be a criticism of Gen-Z’s perceived “overconfidence”, Dr Horvath said, “The smarter people think they are, the dumber they actually are.”

Experts urged the U.S. Congress to consider measures such as banning Education technology in schools to prevent what they described as “societal emergency”.