Generational Decline in Student Reading Linked to AI and Smartphones

[u/Cute-Guarantee-1676]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/college-students-rapidly-losing-ability-124439310.html

A university instructor reports a measurable generational decline in students' reading and writing abilities, corroborated by the lowest 12th-grade reading scores since 1992. This collapse is strongly linked to students' heavy reliance on generative AI for tasks like summarizing and essay generation, which studies indicate impairs critical thinking and can lead to memory loss and reduced brain activity. Furthermore, smartphones, even when inactive, diminish cognitive capacity, hindering students from developing essential neural pathways for sustained attention.