Teen reading slumps to worst this century due to surge in screen time

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A global student assessment conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development revealed that teenagers are reading at the lowest levels seen in the last century, which contributes to a broader decline in education. The 2025 test, involving 760,000 fifteen-year-olds across 91 countries, indicated that reading, mathematics, and science scores were at their lowest since data collection began in the year 2000. According to the results of the Programme for International Student Assessment, reading scores fell from a high of 501 on the PISA index in 2012 to 466 the previous year. This decline is linked to the observation that increased screen time and reduced reading for pleasure are correlated with these weaker educational outcomes, as noted by OECD head Mathias Cormann, who pointed out that this trend also involves students exhibiting more hasty reading and making quick, incorrect answers.

The poorer reading standards have consequently impacted other academic areas. Average teenage science and mathematics skills also reached their lowest points in the century; science scores dropped from a 2009 high of 506 to 486, and mathematics scores decreased from 502 to 469 during the same period. Regional performance varied, with East Asia demonstrating the best educational systems; countries such as China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan performed strongly, with only Britain and Estonia ranking among the top ten globally in reading, mathematics, and science.

The study also examined the role of digital distraction in the learning environment. While the report did not recommend immediate smartphone bans in schools, it established a link between digital distraction and lower science scores in 59 of the 82 education systems studied, with more than one in four students reporting that devices distract classmates during science lessons. Furthermore, students reported spending an average of 3.4 hours per weekday on leisure digital devices in OECD member countries. Although digital devices possess potential for improving learning, Cormann cautioned that performance begins to decline if students engage with them for more than five hours per day. The assessment further explored the use of artificial intelligence chatbots for educational purposes, finding that students who use these tools for drafting essays, summarizing texts, or researching topics generally scored approximately twenty points lower in science, equivalent to a full year of learning.