alt.hn

2/23/2026 at 1:08:19 AM

The U.S. spent $30B to ditch textbooks for laptops and tablets

 https://fortune.com/2026/02/21/laptops-tablets-schools-gen-z-less-cognitively-capable-parents-first-time-cellphone-bans-standardized-test-scores/

by nothrowaways

2/23/2026 at 3:18:59 AM

Better written as: $30b was pumped from taxpayers to already rich guys.

Yet a massive population of HNers are pro-tax. It's mind boggling that present with consistent failures some of the most logical people in the world still choose irrational outcomes.

by exabrial

2/23/2026 at 3:22:29 AM

You can be both pro tax and anti corruption. The two concepts are not in opposition to each other. Just like Trumpers are anti tax and pro corruption, they don’t see a contradiction to that either.

by seanmcdirmid

2/23/2026 at 8:14:11 AM

The biggest consistent failures of the present were brought to you via anti tax for rich people party.

by watwut

2/23/2026 at 4:02:51 AM

I think this part of the headline is more important: "The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents".

Tablets and Laptops are such complete entertainment devices these days, I don't know how locked-down these devices are, but there's often ways to access games and videos and even phone apps. And as the article says, social media and gaming apps are made to be addictive as possible. Just look at the teenagers who walk around looking only at their phones. Its not surprising kids aren't performing as well. Now for high-schoolers, most kids get ChatGPT to write all their assignments, so there's another skill thats going to wither [1].

[1] source: partner is a high school educator.

by kristianp

2/23/2026 at 11:03:53 AM

> "The result is the first generation less cognitively capable than their parents".

And what is wrong with it ? It is working as intended. Keep in mind that these are the next voters. And they take all their knowledge from those tablets and laptops. Win-win. Reading random books might make some of them use their brains (i.e. think). This is dangerous: they might vote with the "wrong" candidate.

by hulitu

2/23/2026 at 2:12:06 AM

> Whenever I work with teenagers I tell them, ‘This is not your fault. None of you asked to be sat in front of a computer for your entire K-12 schooling,’” Horvath said. “That means we…screwed up—and I genuinely hope Gen Z quickly figures that out and gets mad.”

> [...]

> While teachers may be intending for these tools to be strictly educational, students often have different ideas. According to a 2014 study, which surveyed and observed 3,000 university students, students engaged in off-task activities on their computers nearly two-thirds of the time.

Oh wow! Maybe try this instead:

If you f around on your computer, tablet, and phone when you need to be paying attention, you will not win at school or in industry.

You are responsible for maintaining focus.

It is not their responsibility to be more entertaining than your other apps.

It is your responsibility to focus.

Do not blame technology for your unwillingness or inability to focus.

Do not blame temptation. Accept responsibility for your behavior.

When you're paying by the credit hour, paying a professor to talk at you while you allow yourself to be distracted with your device is a waste of time and money.

by westurner

2/23/2026 at 8:30:25 AM

We're talking about kids. You appear to expect small children to behave like adults. The school environment is supposed to help kids learn. We are the adults who have (collectively) designed this system, who force kids into schools, and who are responsible for them.

by rottingchris

2/23/2026 at 9:32:37 AM

The school environment is to turn children into workers, provide daycare so their parents can work, keep them off the streets and sh*ting up the neighbourhood. Learning is a distant 5th place, entirely optional, and politically undesireable.

by blitzar