For more than a century, human intelligence seemed to follow a reassuring rule: each generation grew sharper than the last. Psychologists called it the Flynn Effect, a steady rise in IQ scores observed across the 20th century.
But that rule is now breaking. Multiple international researchers are documenting an unsettling shift. In several countries, Generation Z—those born roughly between 1997 and 2012—is showing declines in attention, reading comprehension, numeracy and problem-solving compared to previous generations. In some regions, IQ gains have stalled or reversed altogether.
What began as an academic signal has now entered policy discourse. In January this year, neuroscientist Jared Cooney Horvath told a US Senate committee that cognitive development trends are no longer improving, and, in some domains, are moving backwards.
This is not a localised anomaly. It is a global pattern. And India, despite limited participation in global benchmarks, is not immune.
Evidence spans continents. OECD PISA 2022 shows steep declines in maths and reading, nearing a year of lost learning. Scandinavian and UK data indicate stagnating or falling IQs post-1990s. US NAEP reports historic drops. Stuart Ritchie notes that the Flynn Effect has slowed, stalled, and reversed in places.
India’s case is complex. With over 250 million students, it runs one of the world’s largest systems, yet it lacks consistent global benchmarking. Its lone PISA outing (2009) ranked near the bottom. Subsequent studies show strength in rote learning but weak application, inference, and critical reasoning, with reading comprehension dropping beyond basic levels. Rapid digitalisation, driven by ubiquitous smartphones and screen-led classrooms, has expanded access but diluted depth. Teachers increasingly report shrinking attention spans, weaker reading habits, and an inability to sustain focus even through a single class session.
The cognitive shift coincides with a major environmental change. Around 2010, smartphones became part of daily life, social media surged, content became short-form, and classrooms became screen-led. Adolescents now spend 7-9 hours daily on screens, constantly switching between tasks. American neuroscientist Adam Gazzaley notes that this breeds efficient switching but weak sustained attention, which underpins memory and reasoning. Human cognition evolved for depth, yet digital systems reward speed and novelty, creating what Jared Cooney Horvath calls a “structural mismatch”. The shift is behavioural: reading to skimming, learning to scanning, thinking to reacting.
India has expanded educational access with higher enrolment, widespread digital platforms, and abundant content. Yet outcomes lag. Learning is increasingly slide-driven, summarised, and coaching-oriented, with less engagement with primary texts. Cognitive science is clear: effort drives retention. As American psychologist Daniel Willingham notes, “memory is the residue of thought”, and shallow engagement weakens understanding.
Emerging patterns show shrinking attention spans, low tolerance for effort, a preference for short-form stimulation, and declining reading. Clinicians report rising digital dependency, sleep disruption, and reduced physical activity. These factors directly impair brain development, memory consolidation, and executive function.
If current trends continue, the risk is clear: a generation that is digitally fluent but cognitively fragile; capable of consuming information, but less equipped to analyse, synthesise and innovate.
(Dr Anish Desai is a healthcare entrepreneur. He is leading IntelliMed Healthcare Solutions)
