Reading Levels Decline Among... Minors
Paris (Reuters) – A global assessment of students has revealed that minors, who have become more accustomed to using smartphones, recorded the lowest reading levels seen this century, leading to a broader deterioration in education.
Results from the 2025 test administered by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on 760,000 15-year-old students across 91 countries showed the lowest scores in reading, mathematics, and science since data collection began in 2000.
The latest edition of the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), released yesterday, showed that students’ average reading performance was previously expected to match that of students one year younger.
Reading scores, which peaked in 2012 at 501 points on the PISA scale, fell to 466 points last year. The test is widely regarded as the leading global measure of educational performance, and its results are closely scrutinized by governments and educators.
OECD head Mathias Cormann said at a press conference, “In reading, the increase in time spent in front of screens and the decline in reading for pleasure have been linked to deteriorating results.”
He added, “We also observe an increase in skimming, as students rush through texts and hastily provide incorrect answers.”
The assessment also showed that reading scores declined more sharply among students from more affluent backgrounds.
Due to the decline in reading levels, minors’ average skills in science and mathematics also reached their lowest point this century. The science index fell from a high of 506 points in 2009 to 486 points, while the mathematics index dropped from 502 to 469 points over the same period.
East Asia was the top-performing region, with Chinese cities participating in the test, along with Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan, boasting the best education systems. The United Kingdom and Estonia were the only two countries outside the region to enter the top ten in reading, mathematics, and science.
The report did not go so far as to endorse banning smartphones in schools, but it noted that digital distraction was linked to lower science scores in 59 out of 82 education systems covered by the study, and that more than a quarter of students said devices distracted their classmates during science classes.
The OECD stated that students reported spending an average of 3.4 hours per day during weekdays on digital entertainment in member countries, with an additional three hours per day during weekdays spent in school and at home for learning purposes.
Cormann said that digital devices can be used to enhance learning, but only to a certain extent, noting that results begin to decline when usage exceeds five hours per day.
The study also revealed that nearly half of students regularly use AI-powered chatbots for learning purposes, but those who use them to draft essays, summarize texts, and research topics generally scored about 20 points lower in science, equivalent to a full academic year of learning.
