$30B for laptops yielded a generation less cognitively capable than parents

Debating the claims and evidence

• Some argue the article is clickbait and laptop-focused while ignoring many confounders (Covid, curriculum changes, demographics, smartphones, parenting).
• Others look for peer‑reviewed or large-scale data; OECD/PISA results are cited both to support and contradict the “screens = worse scores” narrative.
• Testimony referenced in the article is criticized as cherry‑picking; one cited OECD excerpt actually shows modest benefits from limited school device use, complicating the story.
• Skepticism about “peer review” itself appears: some see it as minimal filtering, others as essential baseline credibility.

Laptops vs. other tech and distractions

• Many posters think blaming school laptops alone is wrong: smartphones, social media, and addictive app design are viewed as far more significant.
• Several teachers report that once students have internet-connected devices, distraction overwhelms instruction, even with locking and filtering.
• There’s concern that AI and auto‑solving tools will be far worse for genuine learning than laptops ever were.

Teachers, parents, and school governance

• Repeated anecdotes: teachers feel blamed for broader societal failures, overruled by administrators and parents, and expected to manage tech addiction, poverty, trauma, and even school-shooting risks.
• Many describe a collapse in classroom discipline and parental support; some say parents now oppose homework, phone bans, and meaningful consequences.
• Disagreement over teachers’ unions and vouchers: some see unions/monopolies as a core problem; others say vouchers mostly subsidize private/religious schools and don’t fix quality.
• Several insist the main bottleneck is attracting and retaining strong teachers; others argue more pay alone doesn’t reliably improve outcomes.

Systemic and international context

• Commenters stress that score declines and “reverse Flynn effect” trends show up in many Western countries, not just the U.S., so it can’t be just American policy or just laptops.
• Explanations proposed: underfunded schools, large classes, shifting curricula, test inflation, cultural devaluation of education, rising single parenthood, and immigration/demographic mix (controversial).

What to do with technology in education

• Strong faction: remove or severely limit tech in K–6, return to books, handwriting, paper tests; keep small, focused computer labs.
• Others argue for balanced, well‑locked‑down use (whitelisting, labs, explicit skills), and for teaching “how to use tech meaningfully,” not as babysitting.
• A minority suggest the core issue is how tech is deployed (proprietary, engagement‑maximizing platforms) rather than computers per se.