The "Digital Age" has set Gen A up for failure in school.

Question

My claim is that Gen Alpha has been set up for failure in the classroom due to the digital age usage in classrooms. It is very clear how technology has impacted education especially after the pandemics when everything was online. Now, even in as young as elementary school, assignments for kids are online. In the tagged article, it mentions that only 33% of fourth graders in America scored at or above proficiency on a reading exam. As technology and AI continue to grow, our education system will decrease.

Answer 1

While I agree with your statement, I think that the claim is more based on opinion than fact. While doing some research, I did not find string evidence that isolatively blames digital usage for widespread failure. Evidence that I have found (listed below) better supports that reading proficiency is declining and that pandemic disruptions and other factors are likely contributors. The digital environment may exaggerate issues, such as "making distractions easier" or " reducing social interactions", but it is hard to isolate the "digital age" as the primary source of this information. With the article and statistic mentioned in your claim, about the fourth graders test score, is right in the ballpark according to the sources listed below. But it is also important to note that this statistic doesn't automatically imply that the decline in proficiency is the cause for "set up for failure" or that all of the decline is due to the digital touch. It is fair to say that Gen Alpha faces heightened challenges in school, especially in reading and foundational skills, and that digital environments may exacerbate these. But it is not defensible to assert that technology alone (or mainly) has “set them up for failure” without controlling for other major influences. I think a more balanced claim would be something similar to, "The digital age may contribute to educational difficulties regarding Gen A, especially taking into account the pandemic related disruptions and inequalities". 

https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/measures/Reading_Proficiency?

https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/subject/publications/stt2022/pdf/2023010NP4.pdf?

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8221420/

Answer 2

Reading multiple articles I would say that your claim is correct. Although there could be some benefits with having technology in classrooms, overall its negatively effecting kids and teens test scores. There was an increase of technological use after the pandemic especially, with the shift to online classes. This really affected kids attention span, and they can't focus on their own work that much. The main cause of the decline of test scores may not fully be from technology, but it could be a big factor that plays into it. So yeah I agree with your claim, there needs to be less technology use in classes. https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/highlights/reading/2022/

Answer 3

Although this claim could be true, there are also counterarguments showing that technology can help Generation Alpha (Gen A) with education and learning. During the Industrial Revolution, people were afraid that jobs would be taken due to technological advancements. However, the opposite took place. Think about how much opportunity for learning technology provides for Gen A.

A Stanford University report states that “AI is not going away,” so teachers are now implementing AI in the classroom and teaching students about AI literacy. I think this is vastly different from Generation Z, when AI was a new concept during high school and students were not fully taught how to use it without cheating, etc.https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/02/technology-in-education 

Next, the National Library of Medicine states that video games can actually improve students’ learning abilities: “Social media can foster peer learning, discussions, and access to diverse educational resources, while video games may improve cognitive functions like problem-solving, strategic thinking, and hand-eye coordination” (NCBI). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11894741/ 

However, where your claim comes in is the addiction to social media and video games, which can negatively affect student participation and make students more impulsive.

Answer 4

This claim is slightly misleading as the digital age can be argued to benefit and harm learning. Though the pandemic hindered education, the NAP report card says while 33% of fourth graders in America scored at or above proficiency, it also states that it was “5 percentage points higher in comparison to 1992”. While the pandemic increased screens for education, it can’t be argued that the “digital age” has caused lack of reading proficiency as it was lower in 1992. 

https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading/nation/achievement/?grade=4 

Although not directly correlated to the pandemic, there are still strong correlations between lower academic performance and screens. In a Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, it looked at the connection between tv exposure and academic success. In the study, they increased tv time in children by hour increments, finding  “a 7% unit decrease in participation in class and a 6% unit decrease in math proficiency in the fourth grade”. The study explains that the early years of childhood are detrimental to language and education developments, and when this is hindered -potentially with the use of screens-, it can cause lifelong impacts. 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10353947/ 

The positionality of this issue also must be addressed, as JAMA pediatric study looked at “895 children aged 1 to 3 years” and found that screen time was lower with parents who had higher education, whereas parents who had lower than a high school degree exposed their child to screens more. Though the “digital age” is still a part of the issue, other aspects that impact screen time must be taken into account.  

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle

The digital age has definitely impacted how children learn and how they engage in class, it can’t be blamed as the only cause for failure in school.

Answer 5

While some elements of this claim are true, it is also heavily opinionated in many ways. It is accurate that U.S. reading proficiency among fourth graders has declined, as reported by Emory Wheel, "in 2022, only about 33% scored at or above proficiency according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress." Teachers have also widely reported worsened behavior and lower motivation in students since returning to classrooms after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the claim that many fifth graders cannot spell their own names and that technology overuse is the clear cause of Gen Alpha’s struggles lacks credible, large scale evidence. After fact checking with multiuple other sources, like Stanford and Purdue research, there are both pros and cons of increasing amounts of technology being seen in classrooms. While excessive screen time and remote learning may have contributed to academic and behavioral issues, research shows that multiple factors, including learning loss during the pandemic and social-emotional challenges, play a role. Concluding that the statement oversimplifies a complex issue and exaggerates technology’s sole influence on Gen Alpha’s educational decline, leading to the conclusion that the claim is more opinion based with a few true facts included in it as well. 

Answer 6

I agree somewhat. Digital media is not compatible with the way modern schooling is structured; more specifically, school requires an attention span that newer digital technology simply doesn’t promote. A study from the Annie E. Casey Foundation (posted October 22, 2024, and updated June 22, 2025) states that “Gen Alpha’s social media usage shows that they favor apps that fea­ture short, atten­tion-grab­bing con­tent,” and that “More than 30% of Gen Alphas watch YouTube and YouTube Shorts over two hours daily.” If short-term, highly stimulating social media content is preferred by the younger generation, the skills required to sit and focus may become harder to build. 

However, as digital technology changes, the role of school in students’ lives seems to change with it. An article published by Purdue University (January 1, 2024) seems to have a different take on the matter, emphasizing how “technology is a powerful tool that can support and transform education in many ways, from making it easier for teachers to create instructional materials to enabling new ways for people to learn and work together.” Modern examples of this include the ability to take online courses, easier communication with teachers or peers, and an overall wider access to information. 

Sources:

 https://www.aecf.org/blog/impact-of-social-media-on-gen-alpha#:~:text=They%20have%20grown%20up%20in,and%20entrepreneurial%20than%20other%20generations

 https://education.purdue.edu/2024/01/how-has-technology-changed-education/

Answer 7

This article claims that Gen Alpha (0-14) are falling behind in school due to our digital age. The main statistic that this article refers to is that "In 2022, only 33% of fourth graders in the United States scored at or above their proficiency in reading." This statistic is true, however the scores have been like this long before the digital era. In 2000 the percent of fourth graders in the United States who scored at or above their proficiency in reading was 32% (https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pubs/main2000/2001499.aspx).

Additionally, according to the National Library of Medicine, studies have shown negative and positive associations between screen time and academic performance. For example, there was a positive association between screen time and academic performance when 2-4 hours were spent on a screen, but a negative association when they spent 7 or more hours on a screen per day (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6764013/). The National Library of Medicine also claims that these associations are very complex and cannot be deemed as positive or negative due to the lack of research and the many different functions that screens have.

In conclusion, screentime can negatively impact Gen Alpha's academic performance but it can also positively impact it.

Answer 8

I think your claim raises an important point about technology's impact on education, but I feel like it's a very broad and sweeping conclusion that Gen Alpha is "set up for failure." The article that you cited from The Emory Wheel feels more like an opinion piece, reflecting one author's interpretation rather than simply research. I like that you included the 33% reading proficiency statistic. However, it's important to remember that this could be linked to other factors like pandemic learning loss, socioeconomic differences, etc. I'd be curious to also look at studies on how technology can enhance classrooms, and to compare results on both sides.

Answer 9

The claim that the digital age has set Gen Alpha up for failure I don't think is necessarily true or false. Technology has had many negative outcomes but also positive ones. Honestly this claim isn't really reliable because technology affects everyone differently in positive and negative ways. The article from Emory Wheel uses COVID-19 to say it was "the inescapable digital era, perpetuated by online schooling and a lack of socialization" all of this is completely true. During the pandemic it was impossible to escape over using technology because we had so much time on our hands. Due to a rise in screen time levels for Gen Alpha, there has been a noticeable increase in children having behavioral issues and symptoms of depression, ADHD, and anxiety. The source is right about the reading levels when it says "in 2022, only 33% of fourth graders in the United States scored at or above proficiency in reading" but no past data to compare the difference (The Emory Wheel).

Greg Godard, a division psychologist with Prairie Rose Public Schools, explains that statistics are showing Gen Alpha average screen time is 9 hours each day and increased 50% during COVID-19 (Prairie Rose Schools). Gen Alpha has been the only generation subjected to a pretty much fully digital world so it is very hard to regulate for them. Overall it can be concluded that technology has affected Gen Alpha a lot especially in school but has not necessarily set them up for failure. 

Answer 10

“A multitude of fed-up elementary and middle school teachers has taken social media by storm, expressing concern after concern. Generation Alpha, which includes children born from 2010 to present, is underperforming and misbehaving in school at an unprecedented level — a majority of teachers have reported that misbehavior and morale have gotten worse after the COVID-19 pandemic.”

From the article provided there is no scientific evidence of Gen Alpha being set up for failure in school. This claim stems from teachers on Tiktok and other social media platforms ranting on how students in elementary and middle school are seemingly underperforming and misbehaving then from years past. This article also explains that Gen Alpha is the first digital generation as these kids have never not known a screen as well as the effect of the post COVID- 19 world.  

https://www.emorywheel.com/article/2024/11/digital-age-sets-gen-alpha-up-for-failure-in-classroom

“Is Gen Alpha harder to teach? They can be challenging to teach with traditional methods, yes. Teachers find that Gen Alpha students often won’t passively sit through lectures or worksheets – their digitally trained brains crave interaction and stimulation.”

This article also displays the threat of Gen Alpha’s upbrining and the decade/century they were born into. The article details the learning style of Gen Alpha as how the upbringing with screens is more damaging with their education and the need for institutions to be able to adapt and enable different tech for future classrooms. As well as the article before, it goes into detail how COVID-19 disrupted more normal experiences that generations before have gone through. 

https://www.higher-education-marketing.com/blog/10-key-insights-higher-ed-needs-to-know-about-generation-alpha

Although, I have mixed opinions on the “Digtial Age” setting Gen A for failure in school overall I believe this headline to be false.  Both these articles went into detail on how there was disruption between Generation Alpha because of the century/decade they were born into. With both claiming that Gen Alpha’s education pathways are on the decline there is now scientific proof of these claims being true. I believe both articles have a bias towards the effect on education with media because of the generation the authors were born into.