The U.S. spent $30 billion to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets, but the result is a generation less cognitively capable than their parents. This is a stark contrast to the initial vision of empowering children with access to more knowledge. Psychologists and learning experts now see a different outcome, with technology having the opposite effect. The introduction of the iPhone in 2007 and the rise of social media and gaming apps have contributed to this decline. Students are spending more time on screens, leading to weaker learning capabilities and a tendency to get off-task. This is a crisis that needs to be addressed, and experts propose solutions such as imposing efficacy standards and limiting tracking behavior. The loss of critical thinking and learning skills is a policy failure, and it's time for a reevaluation of educational technology.
