Oct 12, 2026 · 45 min · 18 segments
**Monday, October 12, 2026** !https://podcast.christiantalk.media/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Podcast-Thumbnail2.jpg In the second hour, Liberty and Lindsey will continue their conversation…
Alicia Finley documents something I've been talking about for two decades.
Yes, children really are getting dumber.
In the past, I've talked about the impact that the pandemic and lockdown have had on student learning.
Although that is true, it is unlikely to be a primary cause.
We had different levels of shutdowns between various countries.
She documents that scores fell in countries that kept schools mostly open.
Now, one important factor is classroom order.
About one-third of students on average in developed countries reported that noise and disorder disrupted lessons.
A significant percentage said that classmates don't listen to teachers.
It's not surprising that students in countries with the most strict discipline, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, experience small or no learning declines.
The most important reason for educational decline is media.
In the past, the concern was over smartphones and social media.
Now the focus is on artificial intelligence.
Nearly half of students in developed countries say they use chatbots every day.
Here is where we see a significant difference in performance.
Students who do not use AI for writing text scored 28 points higher on average than those who use it almost every day.
That is the equivalent to one and a half school years.
AI is making it easier to succeed in school without doing the work and learning something.
Students are getting dumber, especially now that AI does much of the work for them.
Alicia Finley documents something I've been talking about for two decades.
Yes, children really are getting dumber.
In the past, I've talked about the impact that the pandemic and lockdown have had on student learning.
Although that is true, it is unlikely to be a primary cause.
We had different levels of shutdowns between various countries.
She documents that scores fell in countries that kept schools mostly open.
Now, one important factor is classroom order.
About one-third of students on average in developed countries reported that noise and disorder disrupted lessons.
A significant percentage said that classmates don't listen to teachers.
It's not surprising that students in countries with the most strict discipline, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, experience small or no learning declines.
The most important reason for educational decline is media.
In the past, the concern was over smartphones and social media.
Now the focus is on artificial intelligence.
Nearly half of students in developed countries say they use chatbots every day.
Here is where we see a significant difference in performance.
Students who do not use AI for writing text scored 28 points higher on average than those who use it almost every day.
That is the equivalent to one and a half school years.
AI is making it easier to succeed in school without doing the work and learning something.
Students are getting dumber, especially now that AI does much of the work for them.
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