Gen Z Struggles with Over-dosed Advanced Technology

We cannot and should not deny the benefits that technology brings, but treating technology as a panacea to replace traditional educational foundations is a costly mistake that we are paying for with the very cognitive capacity of future generations. Originating from the fervent belief that digitalization would be the key to opening the door to endless knowledge, educational policymakers globally have not hesitated to invest heavily in the classroom. In the US alone in 2024, approximately $30 billion was spent to equip students with laptops and tablets. This large-scale experiment actually began over two decades ago, when Maine became the first US state to roll out a program providing laptops to all students in 2002. However, as we enter 2026, we are witnessing a bitter paradox as Gen Z struggles because of the very technologies deemed to be superior. This first generation of digital natives is showing a severe cognitive decline compared to their own parents, evidenced by the fact that metrics measuring reading comprehension, mathematics, and logical thinking have simultaneously plummeted to their lowest levels in decades.


This failure stems from the fact that the technological devices introduced into classrooms possess a power and speed that far exceeds the learner's brain's natural capacity for absorption. We have inadvertently equated easy access to a massive ocean of information with truly possessing knowledge. When students are equipped with overly advanced computers, their brains begin to form a psychological reliance on instant search engines and artificial intelligence. Instead of making the effort to memorize, analyze, and create new neural connections to understand issues deeply, their minds choose to surrender the effort. This reliance is the very seed of digital amnesia, leaving them overwhelmed and stripping them of the ability to filter information in a technological world that operates too fast and is far too complex.

More dangerously, the excessive technological power of these devices has severely devastated students' capacity for deep work. The multitasking personal computers placed on school desks are, in reality, the most sophisticated distraction machines ever created. Cutting-edge algorithms designed to constantly pump large amounts of dopamine into the brain leave the younger generation in a perpetual state of craving intense visual stimulation. When faced with a history essay or a quiet equation that demands patience, the brain immediately sends out signals of boredom and refuses to engage, almost completely destroying the capacity for critical thinking. Consequently, a strong wave of awakening is taking place around the world, most notably in Denmark. This country has executed a decisive pivot by issuing a ban on mobile phones and personal tablets in schools, while simultaneously requiring educational institutions to remove digital barriers to bring students back to real-world interactions and traditional paper books.

In addition to shattering concentration, modern technologies also strip away the core natural tools that help the brain develop comprehensively. When reading text on a continuously scrolling screen, students lose the tactile cues and physical space needed to build profound cognitive maps, restricting comprehension to mere surface-level processing. This strict attachment to high-tech devices is also pushing Gen Z into a severe mental health crisis. Cognitive decline leads to low self-esteem, and low self-esteem, in turn, pushes them deeper into the virtual world, creating a bleak vicious cycle.

Faced with this imminent threat, reshaping the learning environment is extremely urgent. In the current period from 2026 to 2030, the proactiveness of educational principals, especially at the high school level, plays a vital, critical role. These high school leaders are directly on the front line, where students are under the greatest pressure from future-shaping exams. They cannot continue to wait for changes from macro policies but must immediately re-establish digital boundaries within their own managed schools. Bravely enacting regulations to restrict personal devices, resolutely enforcing phone bans, and bringing direct interaction back to the podium requires an incredibly courageous vision. Only when principals proactively create a disciplined learning environment, removing overly advanced technological devices from spaces demanding focus, will Gen Z truly have a chance to be rescued, empowering them to master knowledge rather than becoming victims of sophisticated algorithms.


Read more in Vietnamese

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Deep Post-War Sorrow in Memoirs of a Geisha

Image
The phrase, “We become Geishas because we have no choice,” resonates like a sigh that reaches the very depth of helplessness. It is not just the confession of a woman cornered by fate, but also the echoing voice of an entire generation living in the shadow of war and ruin. In Memoirs of a Geisha , through the fragile and tumultuous life of Sayuri, Arthur Golden reconstructs a post-war Japan that was not only destroyed by bombs but also torn apart by moral decay, the disintegration of traditional values, and the profound, silent sorrow borne by women. Before the war swept in, the hanamachi (geisha district) was a world preserved by delicate and strict rules, where the arts of dance, song, the tea ceremony, and the shamisen were cherished as treasures of Japanese culture. The small streets leading to the okiya (geisha houses) were always bright, and the laughter from client gatherings in the tea houses often lasted late into the night. However, all of it turned to dust with the passa...
Read more

Professorship in the USA: Clarifying Ranks and the Academic Career Path

Image
Recently, the translation of academic titles from English to Vietnamese has often encountered many shortcomings. A lack of information regarding the structure and processes of the US university system leads translators to infer meanings based on the literal sense of words, resulting in serious inaccuracies that distort the actual standing and responsibilities of American academics.  This article aims to clarify and illuminate the core professorial titles within the US academic system, using the designations: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Full Professor. It is important to remember that regardless of their title within these three ranks, they are all University Professors who hold positions of teaching, research, and knowledge shaping at universities.  I. Three Core Ranks on the Tenure-Track  The standard career path leading to a Tenured Professor position at research universities in the US is a clearly defined trajectory, demanding continuous dedication an...
Read more

About building real capacity for teachers in the age of AI

Image
On the occasion of Vietnamese Teachers' Day, every year we collectively honor the noble profession of human cultivation and reflect on the mission of education in a volatile historical context. More than a century has passed since the 'Chấn dân khí' (strengthening the national spirit) movement was initiated by patriotic Confucian scholars and intellectuals. This was a great slogan, bearing the mission of awakening and uplifting the will of the entire nation; however, after more than a hundred years of arduous endeavor, this slogan has become a boulder too large, too overwhelming for intellectuals and Confucian scholars. The efforts to enlighten the populace and strengthen the national spirit have achieved many significant accomplishments, but we also have to face a harsh reality: the national spirit has not been thoroughly revitalized, and increasingly, there appear "ngáo sĩ" (pseudo-intellectuals), those who claim to be intellectuals and guides but lack solid fou...
Read more