ORLANDO, Fla. — American teenagers are falling behind in reading comprehension as global rankings show the gap between the country’s best and worst readers has widened to the largest of any nation.
According to test results released this week, U.S. reading scores fell 14 points since the previous assessment in 2022, dropping the nation seven places down to 13th overall in global rankings.
The organization administering the test pointed to device usage and social media as major factors in the decline.
The assessment found that nearly one in three students reported being distracted by electronic devices in class, with those students scoring the equivalent of three-quarters of a school year behind their peers.
Beyond classroom disruptions, researchers identified broader habits related to digital media and screen reading.
Students who spent more than one hour a day on social media consistently recorded lower reading scores.
Additionally, technology expanded during the pandemic has shown drawbacks; a review of nearly 400 studies found that students understand less when reading text on a screen compared to reading on paper.
In response to concerns over classroom focus and screen time, local and state officials have begun implementing structural policy changes.
A total of 38 states and Washington, D.C., now require schools to ban or restrict student cellphones in educational settings.
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