Gen Z is once again at the centre of online mockery, but this time the jokes are being fuelled by scientific headlines rather than stereotypes alone.
Across social media platforms, memes and viral posts have often claimed that Gen Z is not as intelligent as the previous generations, trolling them for being unaware of basic things that those before them are adept at.
While it was initially taken as just silly ribbing between generations, it now seems that the claim might not be entirely false, with a study suggesting that Gen Z is “less intelligent” than previous generations, implying a measurable decline in IQ scores.
Reports describing the first recorded intergenerational drop in intelligence have sparked alarm, debate and criticism in equal measure.
What Does The Study Say?
Gen Z is always getting trolled these days, whether it be about their work ethic, civic sense, lack of respect, or their intelligence. Most of it is not without reason, while some could be taking things a little too far.
I believe we’ve all come across videos such as these, that point out how ‘dumb’ Gen Z are, in that they cannot do basic tasks, like filling a sauce bottle or cleaning.
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While most of the time they are clearly just parody videos, mocking either of the generations, and not meant to be taken seriously, now, it seems that might not be the case.
Dr Jared Cooney Horvath, a former teacher-turned-neuroscientist, in January 2026 appeared before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, where he spoke about how, despite youngsters spending more time in school than children did in the 20th century, Gen Z has seen a drop in their intelligence.
He brought up how individuals born between 1997 to the early 2010s, are being cognitively stunted due to overusage of digital technology in schools and how since the 1800s when records on cognitive development started to be kept, the Gen Z are “officially the first group to ever score lower than the generation before them, declining in attention, memory, reading and math skills, problem-solving abilities, and overall IQ” according to reports.
During his spoken testimony on January 15, Horvath told the committee, “More than half of the time a teenager is awake, half of it is spent staring at a screen. Humans are biologically programmed to learn from other humans and from deep study, not flipping through screens for bullet point summaries.”
Read More: Doctor Tells Why Gen Z Is Always Tired And Fatigued
In his written testimony to the Senate, published on their official site, Horvath wrote, “Over the past two decades, the cognitive development of children across much of the developed world has stalled and, in many domains, reversed. Literacy, numeracy, attention, and higher-order reasoning have declined despite increased school attendance and expanded public investment.”
He mentioned that the inclusion of “rapid and largely unregulated expansion of educational technology (EdTech)” is something that differentiates classrooms of today from prior generations.
He pointed out how the “Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) shows a similar pattern among younger students. Frequent in-class computer use correlates with significantly lower math and science performance across both high-income and middle-income countries.”
Horvath also brought up data presented by the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) that claims how excessive computer use in classrooms “historically shows weaker reading performance among students.”
While this might be the result of one study, it doesn’t have to mean that all Gen Z are inherently dumb or lacking intelligence.
Critics of this study have argued that factors like pandemic-era learning disruptions, rising stress levels, mental health challenges and educational inequality should be taken into account when measuring the intelligence or IQ of a generation, as they have a significant impact on an individual’s development.
So basically, while studies do suggest a measurable decline in average IQ scores, they do not prove that Gen Z is inherently less capable or less intelligent as individuals.
What can be focused on is the changing perception of intelligence for newer generations and where things need to be improved so that the brainpower can be strengthened.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Moneycontrol, Outlook, WION
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This post is tagged under: Gen Z, Gen Z vs millennials, millennials, Gen Z iq, Gen Z low iq, Gen Z smart, Gen Z intelligent
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