Episode overview

"We’re Regressing Into The Unknown" - Dr Jared Cooney Horvath

Triggernometry · 3 June 2026 · 4 Egleze moments

What happened in this episode?

On this episode of Trigonometry, hosts Francis Foster and Konstantin Kisin interviewed neuroscientist Jared Horvath about the catastrophic impact of screen technology on children's cognitive development and learning. Horvath, who spent 18 years researching the science of learning and recently testified before the U.S. Senate, revealed that children today are cognitively inferior to their parents for the first time since measurements began in the 1800s, with development reversing precisely in 2010 when screens entered classrooms at scale. He presented evidence that 50 percent of American students now have special educational plans for learning disorders, most of which he argues are induced ADHD caused by screens rather than genuine biological conditions. The conversation covered the neuroscience of how screens create addiction cycles through dopamine manipulation, why online social interaction triggers depression chemicals rather than bonding hormones, and comprehensive data showing that more classroom screen time linearly correlates with worse academic outcomes. Horvath exposed how school districts mandate technology use despite zero evidence of benefit, citing a Kansas district that threatened to fire teachers who didn't use laptops 20 minutes daily. He argued that the $21 billion spent on educational technology infrastructure represents a financial incentive rather than pedagogical improvement, comparing it to giving children an untested drug. The episode concluded with practical advice for parents, including making homes analog, demanding evidence from schools, and recognizing that teachers privately oppose tech mandates but cannot speak publicly without risking their jobs. Horvath advocated for a complete government moratorium on new educational technology until efficacy can be proven.

What are the key points?

Children today test at 1992 cognitive levels despite more schooling, marking the first generational decline since the 1800s, beginning exactly in 2010 when screens entered classrooms.
50 percent of U.S. students have special learning disorder plans, mostly for attention issues that Horvath claims are induced ADHD from screens rather than biological conditions.
Comprehensive international data shows students using technology 6 hours daily score two-thirds of a standard deviation worse than students with zero tech use.
Online social interaction triggers tachykinins associated with depression and isolation rather than oxytocin bonding hormones, creating cycles of loneliness.
A Kansas school district installed surveillance software and threatened to fire teachers who didn't use laptops 20 minutes daily in class.
Tech companies hire psychologists at premium salaries to build addiction cycles, and their own executives don't allow their children to use the devices they create.
The $21 billion spent on educational technology infrastructure came at the expense of teacher training and pay with zero evidence of learning improvement.

Which topics are covered?

Education & Learning Society Health, Longevity & Biohacking Psychology Science Controversial

How is this page sourced?

Programme: Triggernometry
Published: 3 June 2026
Original episode: Open the original source ↗

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4 moments from this episode

Source-linked · editorially selected

Education & Learning

Children Cognitively Inferior to Parents for First Time in Modern History

at 2:51 · Attributed speaker claim

Since we've been recording cognitive development, turn of the century, late 1800s into the 1900s, every generation outperforms their parents. You name it, on basic IQ, memory, attention, literacy, numeracy. And then 2010 rolls around, and all of a sudden schooling and development decouple. Kids today spend more time in schools than we did growing up, but all of their scores are down, lower than ours. They're now equivalent to us in about 1992.

Jared Horvath testified before the U.S. Senate that cognitive development has reversed for the first time since measurements began in the 1800s. Children now test at 1992 levels despite more schooling, with the decline beginning precisely in 2010 when screens entered classrooms at scale. He attributes the regression entirely to digital technology replacing analog learning.

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Health, Longevity & Biohacking

Screen-Based Social Interaction Triggers Depression Chemicals Not Bonding Hormones

at 8:36 · Attributed speaker claim

When we interact live and in person, if we're getting along, our bodies will release a certain set of chemicals, one of which is oxytocin. We call that kind of a bonding chemical. When kids interact online, their bodies don't release oxytocin. They're more likely to release tachykinins. That's a completely different chemical. This chemical leads to depression. That's a marker of isolation. So it's a real good sign that human biology does not appear to recognize digital communication as a form of actual interaction.

Horvath presented biological evidence that online interaction triggers depression markers rather than bonding hormones. When children communicate digitally, their bodies release tachykinins associated with isolation instead of oxytocin, creating a cycle where lonely children seek more online connection that only deepens their loneliness.

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Education & Learning

More Screen Time in Schools Directly Correlates With Worse Learning Outcomes

at 51:14 · Attributed speaker claim

We've got data out the wazoo that shows the more time kids spend on tech at school for learning purposes, the more learning goes down. And it's basically linear. Kids who are using it 6 hours a day, basically all online, are two-thirds of a standard deviation worse on average than kids who don't touch tech ever at school.

Horvath cited comprehensive international data showing a linear relationship between classroom screen time and declining academic performance. Students using technology six hours daily score two-thirds of a standard deviation below students with zero tech use, contradicting the $21 billion spent on educational technology infrastructure with no evidence of benefit.

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Education & Learning

Kansas School District Threatened Teachers Who Refused Daily Tech Use

at 59:31 · Attributed speaker claim

I was working at a district in Kansas recently where the district gave everyone laptops. Put a program on that timed how long the laptop was used for what purposes, sent that data back to the district, and they put a marker that said you have to use this 20 minutes in your class every day, otherwise you will lose your job.

Horvath exposed a Kansas school district that installed surveillance software tracking teacher laptop usage and mandated 20 minutes of daily classroom tech use under threat of termination. This reveals how districts enforce edtech adoption despite teacher opposition and lack of evidence it improves learning outcomes.

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