HN Reader

This is unexpected. According to the article, research across 80 countries suggests that when schools introduce digital technology, student performance drops significantly. Students who use computers about five hours per day for learning score lower than those who rarely use technology in school, and they struggle with concentration, self-esteem, and mental health. Most countries (beside Denmark which removed computers and phones from class rooms) have responded by lowering standards, which is incredible.

wait. the tests are done on paper or done on computers?

Re: Flynn effect reversal - The article attributes this entirely to classroom technology. Researchers have proposed multiple explanations including changes in education, nutrition, cultural factors, and media exposure. The researchers studying the US decline noted "there is no shortage of theories in the scientific community, including poor nutrition, worsening health, media exposures and changes to education" and emphasised that "not every domain is going down; one of them is going up" - spatial reasoning scores actually increased.

Re: Denmark's "Solution" - The article states Denmark has "taken tablets, laptops, and computers out of the classroom" since the 2025/2026 school year with "undeniable" results.... however Denmark’s phone ban is set to take effect from 2026, and it applies to “smartphones and other private electronic devices with access to the internet" Critically, "this does not include computers and tablets that are used as part of the instruction.", and - the policy was only agreed upon in September 2025 and isn’t fully implemented yet - meaning claims of "undeniable results" are premature.

So much correlation presented as causation.

I thought we discovered years ago that people retain content better when reading books than when reading e-readers? Nobody could really explain why, but that's what the results showed. I know if I'm using reading to learn new things then I learn it better when reading a book. However, I also know that good videos plus a book is even better. Which is to say I think screens may augment books, but they're not going to replace them.

Then how does this gel with all these stories and anecdotes of kids cramming advanced math and AP courses for competitive schools? I would say it's the opposite. I just don't see it . From landing a decent job or getting into a decent college, everything has gotten more competitive and difficult, requiring being smarter.