The Digital Delusion

How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids' Learning--and How to Help Them Thrive Again

By: Jared Cooney Horvath

Educator and neuroscientist Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath reveals why digital tools in school consistently undermine learning—and what parents, teachers, and schools can do to push back with purpose.

Our children are struggling.

Schools, once alive with human connection, are now dominated by screens and digital tools. The result is unmistakable: declining performance, fractured attention, and the slow erosion of rigorous thought. For the first time in recent history, children are falling behind previous generations on many key measures of cognitive development.

In The Digital Delusion, neuroscientist and educator Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath reveals how the widespread use of laptops, tablets, and classroom software is undermining how children learn and develop. Drawing on decades of research, he provides practical tools for families to reassess device use at home, equips educators with the means to restore attention-rich learning environments, and helps schools make smarter decisions about technology. He exposes and dismantles the central myths driving the EdTech movement and lays out a clear path for putting people—not programs—back at the center of education. This is not a call to reject technology.

It’s a call to reclaim real learning.

Critic reviews

“Not anti-tech, but pro-learning. If you are an educator or a parent, you’ll want to read this book to understand how technology is changing education and changing children.”—Jonathan Haidt, professor at NYU-Stern School of Business, author of The Anxious Generation

“A thoughtful and important takedown that every parent should read. It will liberate you—and change how you think about your children’s learning.”—Johann Hari, author of Stolen Focus

“Terrifying and essential reading.”—Hugh Grant, BAFTA-winning actor and education advocate

“A must-read for parents and educators everywhere. Horvath exposes technology in our schools today for exactly what it is—a money grab that promotes distraction, procrastination, and addiction, while disempowering parents, teachers, and kids. Rich in scientific data and practical advice, The Digital Delusion empowers us to fight back to bring learning back into our schools.”—Anna Lembke, MD, author of Dopamine Nation