The book fueling a movement against screens in schools

EducationThe book fueling a movement against screens in schools “The Digital Delusion” connects the collapse in standardized test scores to the rise of education technology in public schools. It’s drawing a heated debate.Jared Cooney Horvath self-published "The Digital Delusion" in December 2025.Justine Goode / NBC News; Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 31, 2026, 7:00 AM EDTBy Tyler KingkadeParents hand out copies of the book at school board meetings. Administrators are relying on it for guidance on how to reduce the use of technology in their schools. Actor Hugh Grant promoted it and wrote a blurb for the cover.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Practically overnight, Jared Cooney Horvath went from a relatively unknown educational consultant to the intellectual guide of a grassroots movement to limit screen time in schools, thanks to his self-published book “The Digital Delusion.”The book, which he released last December, ties the yearslong downward trend in standardized test scores among American children to the rise of schools giving every child a laptop or tablet. With citations to academic research, Horvath argues students learn better on paper and through discussion, and schools are harming children by sticking them behind a screen.Since releasing “The Digital Delusion,” Horvath has testified before the U.S. Senate and state legislatures as a growing number of states weigh screen time limits in schools. Local parent coalitions from California to Maryland have hosted him in webinars to seek his advice on pushing districts to return to printed textbooks. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, the second largest teachers union, cited him as a “leading researcher” in a speech last week calling for restrictions on technology in schools.“There’s no way in hell my book has this big of an impact,” Horvath said. “So my thought is it was there, it was foment...