Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps How Big Tech Destroys Learning
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Feb 26, 2026 
Jared Cooney Horvath, neuroscientist and author focused on the science of learning, argues that classroom tech can undermine real learning. He discusses how screen use links to lower test performance, why skills often fail to transfer, and how multitasking and devices harm attention and empathy. The conversation explores memorization’s role in creativity and how schooling should build thinking and resilience.
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More Classroom Computers Often Mean Lower Scores
- Countries that massively invest in classroom computers tend to see lower test scores on international assessments.
- Japan, China and Singapore score highest while using far fewer in-class computers, suggesting heavy in-school tech correlates with worse outcomes.
Experimental Evidence Shows Screens Harms Learning
- Decades of controlled experiments show screens generally harm learning compared with non-screen methods.
- Jared calls this triangulation: correlational national data and causal lab studies converge on tech reducing learning.
Use Tech Only To Teach Digital Skills
- Use technology to teach specific digital skills only, not as the default medium for every subject.
- Teach typing or Excel in a lab, but teach math, handwriting or civics away from screens for better learning.
