Question

Read the text and answer questions 31 to 33

‘Our children are less cognitively capable,’ says neuroscientist who wants to cut screen use in schools Jared Cooney Horvath argues that educational technology undermines how children learn and develop

Jared Cooney Horvath is on a mission. In the wake of global campaigns for smartphone bans in schools and social media restrictions for under-16s, the neuroscientist wants to raise the alarm about educational technology in classrooms. A former teacher, Horvath believes the use of screens and digital tools in schools is undermining how children learn and develop. “This might be one of the hardest truths our generation has to face,” he writes in his book, The Digital Delusion. “Our children are less cognitively capable than we were at their age,” he says. “For nearly two centuries, the west experienced steady generational progress. Each new cohort of children grew up, on average, healthier, happier, and better educated than the last. Until now.” Starting around the year 2000, something changed. “Across the west, IQ scores began to fall – even as time spent in school

kept rising,” writes Horvath. Scores in international tests started to drop. Why? “The answer lies in the meteoric rise of educational technology.” According to a recent Department for Education report, the UK educational technology – or edtech – market generated an annual turnover of about £6.5bn. In the US, Horvath says it is a $400bn (£295bn) mega-industry, woven into every aspect of schooling. “We’ve been making some incredible strides on the screenbased childhood stuff which even two years ago, I did not think was going to happen as fast as it did,” he said. “But it’s not just about getting rid of screens for entertainment. It’s about reducing them as much as possible for academic learning as well if we want our kids to have deep transferrable knowledge in our heads.” Source: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/aug/16/neuroscientistscreen-use-schools-educational-technology-jared-cooney-horvath

What is the main argument presented in the text?

Accepted Answer

B) Horvath argues that the increasing use of digital technology for academic purposes may be weakening children's learning and cognitive development, which is why schools should substantially reduce screen use.

Answer

A) The growing use of technology outside school is the main reason children are performing worse academically, while classroom technology has had little influence on this decline.

Answer

C) Horvath believes that schools should restrict smartphones and social media but continue expanding educational technology because academic screen use produces different cognitive effects.

Answer

D) The text mainly argues that declining academic performance results from children spending more years in school while receiving less effective traditional instruction.

Answer

E) Horvath claims that educational technology should be removed entirely from schools because digital tools cannot contribute meaningfully to any form of learning.

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