Is Gen Z Really Less Intelligent Than Millennials? Here's What The Study Reveals

Gen Z, often known for their tech-saviness, outspoken views, differ sharply from previous generations in values and behaviour. Comparing the generation with millennials and other generations, experts have studied the intelligence level to understand how digital exposure may be reshaping cognition.

In a recent research, Dr Jared Cooney Horvath, a neuroscientist and former teacher, has found Gen Z to be the first generation to be less intelligent than its previous generation. As per Horvath, the reason has been linked to the extreme exposure to digital screens, leading to a significant decline in focused learning.

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Gen Z, born between 1997 and 2010, are typically known for grabbing information through digital devices, including phones, tablets and laptops, which, according to Horvath, dominates both classroom instruction and students’ personal time, reducing meaningful engagement with books and structured study. Instead of reading full texts, many students skim summaries while scrolling through social media platforms.

“They’re the first generation in modern history to score lower on standardised academic tests than the one before it,” New York Post quoted Dr Horvath. “And to make matters worse, most of these young people are overconfident about how smart they are. The smarter people think they are, the dumber they actually are. 

Using extensive datasets and worldwide trends, He explained that Gen Z underperformed on basically every cognitive measure, from basic attention, memory, literacy, numeracy, executive function and general IQ.

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Sharing the findings with lawmakers, the PHD holder claimed that Gen Z has reversed the decades of steady academic progress. He explained that Humans are biologically programmed to learn from other humans and from deep study, not flipping through screens for bullet point summaries.

Calling schools to reduce screen-based learning and return to traditional teaching methods that demand sustained focus and effort, Horvath said, “I’m not anti-tech. I’m pro-rigor.”