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‘Our children are less cognitively capable,’ says neuroscientist who wants to cut screen use in schools

The Guardian · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · · 823 words · By Sally Weale
Impact of Educational Technology Correlation vs Causation in Education Research Cognitive Development in Children
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What to know about Impact of Educational Technology

In the wake of global campaigns for smartphone bans in schools and social media restrictions for under-16s, the neuroscientist wants to raise the alarm about educational technology in classrooms.

Claims checked 11
Techniques found 2
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Right coverage
Left12%
Center88%
Right0%

8 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

In the wake of global campaigns for smartphone bans in schools and social media restrictions for under-16s, the neuroscientist wants to raise the alarm about educational technology in classrooms.

Why it matters

A former teacher, Horvath believes the use of screens and digital tools in schools is undermining how children learn and develop.

Common ground

“This might be one of the hardest truths our generation has to face,” he writes in his book, The Digital Delusion.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Causal Oversimplification: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/aug/16/neuroscientist-screen-use-scho…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Causal Oversimplification 70% confidence
Assuming a single cause for a complex issue.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing causal oversimplification helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 11 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 4
info Single Source 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
schedule Pending 1
cancel Disputed 1
info
Claim 1: “In the US 88% of school districts now had one-to-one computers”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results for '88%' returned mathematical properties of the number 88 and percentage calculators, but no data regarding US school district computer ratios.
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web search NEUTRAL — 88 is: a refactorable number. [1] a primitive semiperfect number. [2] an untouchable number. [3] a hexadecagonal number. [4] an Erdős–Woods number, since it is possible to find sequences of 88 consecu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/88_(number)
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web search NEUTRAL — Toggle the table of contents Percent-encoding
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percent-encoding
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web search NEUTRAL — Simple percentage calculator: work out X% of Y, one number as a percentage of another, and percentage increase or decrease. Free, fast, no sign-up.
https://www.easypercentcalculator.com/
info
Claim 2: “According to a recent Department for Education report, the UK educational technology – or edtech – market generated an annual turnover of about £6.5bn”
SINGLE SOURCE
A LinkedIn post mentions a DfE paper on the UK edtech market, but the specific figure of £6.5bn is not explicitly confirmed in the provided evidence snippets.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Department for Education (DfE) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for child protection, child services, education (compulsory, further, and high…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_for_Education
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Government of the United Kingdom is divided into departments that each have responsibility, according to the government, for putting government policy into practice. There are currently 24 ministe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Departments_of_the_Government_…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Reform UK, also known as the Reform Party, is a right-wing populist and far-right political party in the United Kingdom. It has eight members of Parliament in the House of Commons, two members of the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reform_UK
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 3: “Jared Cooney Horvath is a neuroscientist”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Multiple sources, including LinkedIn, a professional bio, and Wikipedia, confirm that Jared Cooney Horvath is a neuroscientist.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of American films that are scheduled for release in 2026. Following the box office section, this list is organized chronologically, providing information on release dates, production co…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_films_of_2026
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — One Laptop per Child (OLPC) was a non-profit initiative that operated from 2005 to 2014 with the goal of transforming education for children around the world by creating and distributing educational d…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Laptop_per_Child
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids' Learning—and How to Help Them Thrive Again is a work of non-fiction by American neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath. Self published in 20…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Digital_Delusion
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 4: “Horvath writes in his book, The Digital Delusion”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and multiple web sources confirm that Jared Cooney Horvath is the author of the book 'The Digital Delusion'.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — i-Ready (also spelled iReady) is an educational technology platform developed by Curriculum Associates. Founded in 2011, it provides online diagnostic assessments and screen-based instruction in both …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I-Ready
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — One Laptop per Child (OLPC) was a non-profit initiative that operated from 2005 to 2014 with the goal of transforming education for children around the world by creating and distributing educational d…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Laptop_per_Child
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids' Learning—and How to Help Them Thrive Again is a work of non-fiction by American neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath. Self published in 20…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Digital_Delusion
+ 3 more evidence sources
help
Claim 5: “Daisy Christodoulou, the director of education at No More Marking, an educational technology startup”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the search results regarding Daisy Christodoulou's role at No More Marking.
verified
Claim 6: “Pisa... takes place every three years and tracks the academic performance of 15-year-olds across dozens of countries”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and OECD sources confirm PISA evaluates 15-year-olds across multiple countries every three years.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Scholastic performance study by the OECD. Programme for International Student Assessment. Abbreviation. PISA.The students tested by PISA are aged between 15 years and 3 months and 16 years and 2 month…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programme_for_International_St…
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web search NEUTRAL — Conducted every three years since 2000, PISA tracks longitudinal trends in educational performance.The Programme for International Student Assessment-PISAis the most ambitious endeavour of large-scale…
https://www.academia.edu/121907831/Programme_for_Internation…
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web search NEUTRAL — PISA is the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment. PISA measures 15-year-olds’ ability to use their reading, mathematics and science knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges.
https://www.oecd.org/en/about/programmes/pisa.html
schedule
Claim 7: “Dylan Wiliam, an emeritus professor of educational assessment at the UCL Institute of Education”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 8: “Rose Luckin is an emerita professor of learner-centred design at the UCL Knowledge Lab in London”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the search results regarding Rose Luckin's specific title or role at UCL Knowledge Lab.
verified
Claim 9: “Across the west, IQ scores began to fall [starting around the year 2000]”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While some sources discuss IQ trends generally or mention declines since the Victorian era, there is no specific evidence provided in the search results confirming a decline starting specifically around the year 2000 across the West.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — IQ and the Wealth of Nations is a 2002 book by psychologist Richard Lynn and political scientist Tatu Vanhanen. The authors argue that differences in national income (in the form of per capita gross …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IQ_and_the_Wealth_of_Nations
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An intelligence quotient (IQ) is a total score derived from a set of standardized tests or subtests designed to assess human intelligence. Originally, IQ was a quotient obtained by dividing a person's…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_quotient
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The relationship between nations and IQ is a controversial area of study concerning differences between nations in average intelligence test scores, their possible causes, and their correlation with m…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nations_and_IQ
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 10: “On average, those who used computers for more than six hours per day scored 66 points lower than their peers who didn’t use them at all [in Pisa data]”
SINGLE SOURCE
While evidence mentions PISA data showing lower scores for students using AI, there is no specific mention of a '66 point' difference for students using computers for more than six hours per day.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — “PISA data show that students who use AI for specific schoolwork tasks, such as summarising texts, drafting or conducting research, attain lower scores in science than students who do not use AI,” it …
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/why-australian-classroom…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — PISA is the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment. PISA measures 15-year-olds’ ability to use their reading, mathematics and science knowledge and skills to meet real-life challenges.
https://www.oecd.org/en/about/programmes/pisa.html
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Students who frequently use AI chatbots to complete schoolwork scored lower in science on average than students who did not use them.Yet the findings do not establish that AI itself is inherently harm…
https://slguardian.org/unprecedented-slump-hits-the-worlds-s…
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Claim 11: “In the US, Horvath says it [the edtech market] is a $400bn (£295bn) mega-industry”
DISPUTED
The claim states the US market is $400bn, but a provided web search result from EdTechNZ cites a McKinsey report forecasting the US market to hit $70 billion in 2023, showing a significant discrepancy in valuation.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Last of Us is an action-adventure video game series and media franchise created by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The series is set in a post-apocalyptic United State…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_of_Us
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geog…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._state
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic consisting of 50 states and a federal c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.