Too many screens, too little thinking
As schools prepare to invest heavily in new digital tools in the new academic year, a neuroscientist has warned these devices may be harming young minds.
CQUniversity Head of Educational Neuroscience, Professor Ken Purnell explained that decades of international assessment data and recent brain research have challenged the assumption that more screens and Artificial Intelligence (AI) equal better learning.
Over the past 25 years, global assessments such as Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and other studies showed a clear decline in student performance linked to overreliance on digital tools rather than active cognitive engagement.
“Laptops and phones are not neutral tools. We have seen that when learning occurs mainly through screens, performance often declines,” Prof Purnell said.
“Attention becomes more scattered, reading becomes shallower and students mistake being digitally busy for being truly mentally engaged.”
Prof Purnell said that common digital habits, including fast scrolling, skimming and constant task-switching, directly conflict with the focused attention, effortful recall and ‘productive struggle’ that underpin deep learning and healthy brain development.
“Many schools are being sold devices and AI software as essential tools, including AI web browsers, but this has often prioritised profit over the real education of children and young people.
“If students rely on screens to do the heavy lifting, essential neurocognitive processes that build long-term memory and critical thinking can weaken or never develop. This can leave learners with a fragile understanding rather than genuine mastery,” he said.
“Rather than acting as a thinking partner, AI risks becoming a crutch that encourages passive acceptance instead of active engagement, critical thinking and creative problem-solving.”
Prof Purnell cautioned that unless schools changed course, students might become poorly equipped for complex thinking, deep learning and independent reasoning.
“Technology should support learning and not sabotage it,” Prof Purnell said.
“If schools don’t shift their approach, AI will simply magnify the digital problems many are already struggling with.
“Digital tools should be used selectively and limit passive screen-time with more opportunities for deep reading, problem-solving and reflection.”
