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 2025, the book examines the apparent paradox where education technology (EdTech) has been projected to transform the learning experience of school students, and yet there is evidence that this promise remains unmet, or at least unproven. The industry has grown to a size equivalent to $400 billion, while Horvath argues that children's cognitive abilities have declined since the year 2000.[1][2]
International comparison methodologies such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) can be shown to have sustained this argument. The 2022 PISA results showed a 15-point drop in mathematics, the largest decline of its type so far recorded. TIMSS 2019 data shows a similar result with those students who use computers daily scoring 41 points lower in mathematics, 51 points lower in science, compared to those who use computers less frequently.[1]
Critical reception
editCarl Hendrick, writing for Education Next, called it "an impressive piece of work" and praised how its "systematic marshalling of evidence" was its strength, noting that although the evidence Horvath presented "risks overclaiming", the book "deserves serious attention from anyone concerned with education outcomes".[1] The Cyprus Mail was more positive, stating that the book "makes a compelling case that EdTech has successfully transformed our children's education, but that the transformation has been unequivocally negative".[3]
Matt Barnum, writing for Chalkbeat, was more critical, stating that although "there's no smoking-gun data showing that ed-tech is at the root of, or even contributing to, recent learning declines", while noting that The Digital Delusion "should still give schools and educators some pause". Barnum noted that Horvath's book "has a number of significant holes", criticizing what he saw as an overreliance on correlative data and the summary of research utilized throughout. However, Barnum noted that "Horvath is perhaps on the strongest ground in his summary of cognitive science research".[4] Peter Bergman, an associate professor of economics at the University of Texas at Austin stated that "it's very hard to interpret correlations" and that "it's rare to have one neat story that just explains some big macro trend across the country".[2]
In the wake of the book's publication, Horvath has given testimony to the United States Senate and state legislatures, as part of a debate about the appropriate guardrails on screen time in schools, and the role of EdTech.[2]
References
edit- 1 2 3 Hendrick, Carl (10 February 2026). "A Latter-Day Luddite Pulls the Plug on EdTech". Education Next. Vol. 26, no. 1. Hoover Institution. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- 1 2 3 Kingkade, Tyler (31 May 2026). "The book fueling a movement against screens in schools". NBC News. Archived from the original on 31 May 2026. Retrieved 5 June 2026.
- ↑ Demetriou, Simon (3 March 2026). "What's good for entertainment is bad for learning". Cyprus Mail. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
- ↑ Barnum, Matt (17 March 2026). "A viral anti-screen argument is shaking schools. The evidence is more complicated". Chalkbeat. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
Further reading
edit- Horvath, Jared Cooney (2025). The Digital delusion: how classroom technology harms our kids' learning - and how to help them thrive again. Scottsdale: Jared Cooney Horvath / LME Global. ISBN 979-8-218-88037-8. OCLC 1564983636.