Gen Z a sign of humanity’s decline?
Gen Z is said to be less intelligent. Does that mean humanity is getting thicker? Or is it the woke mind that suffers? A trawl through a number of posts from X reveal an interesting mix of thoughts and perceptions – clouding what is really happening when stats show a discernible drop in the comprehension ability of more recent generations.
A number of observers have said its due to COVID, there’s every evidence that phase had a deleterious effect on several aspects of socialisation and learning, however the process of measuring has been underway long before then, with statistics going back decades and the more recent from 2010 onward. Rather more concerning are the claims a decline could be due to any of the following.
There’s weed and over-medication for a start…
Widespread availability of weed, over-prescription of mental health medication and decreasing attention spans (in part due to TikTok & similar apps) will cause a crisis of intelligence.
Generation Z in the West might well become the dumbest generation in modern history.
— Archy✝️ | Richard Nixon Democrat (@ArchysLife) July 13, 2023
Widespread availability of weed, over-prescription of mental health medication and decreasing attention spans (in part due to TikTok&similar apps) will cause a crisis of intelligence.
Someone has made rather rash assumptions by the look of it!
Next, there’s a consensus the second coming of Trump, announced that day 6th November 2025 had an impact. I don’t think anyone woke or left wing would ever have voted for the Orange menace! Whether Trump had an effect on the cognitive ability of Gen Z is difficult to determine, even though there’s a popularly held belief the man himself is devoid of intelligence.
Can’t read, can’t write, can’t add, can’t fuck, can’t joke, can’t dance, can’t dress, can’t drink, can’t smoke, can’t not elect a fascist conman…
gen z gotta be the worst generation of all time
— pam oliver’s naptime wig 💤 (@jonesingforwhat) November 6, 2024
Can’t read, can’t write, can’t add, can’t fuck, can’t joke, can’t dance, can’t dress, can’t drink, can’t smoke, can’t not elect a fascist conman….like pick a mf struggle pic.twitter.com/kASK9eKHw1
Lot’s of cant’s here! The person who posted this can’t even post proper stuff! Probably can’t f**k either!
Gen Z inherited:
— Dylan Madden (@Dylanmadden) February 20, 2026
– Hookup culture
– College degrees worth less than a YouTube tutorial
– Corporate jobs that don’t cover rent
-Every path their parents took now a dead end
The old games are rigged. So they picked a new one.
Learn a skill. Build online. Answer to nobody.
Many know that jobs are drying up because of AI, so its possible Gen Z are the first to suffer the effects of over reliance on screen time because they were born within this particular phase of the digital revolution.
Gen Z are arriving to college unable to read a sentence: “Even when you read it in class with them, there’s so much they can’t process about the very words that are on the page.”
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) January 11, 2026
The generational effects of this will be devastating.https://t.co/18pDY5NZ7t
It seems to be a problem mainly in the US which does indicate matters are dependent on societal parameters, not actual genetics.
We are sending our kids to school to memorize facts that AI can retrieve in 0.3 seconds.
— Julia McCoy (@JuliaEMcCoy) March 2, 2026
We're grading them on essays that AI writes better than their teachers.
We're preparing them for jobs that won't exist by the time they graduate.
The entire education system is training…
Is part of the problem indeed AI? Again it seems to be a problem that is perhaps particular to the US…
🔥 BREAKING 🔥
— Lozzy B 🇦🇺𝕏 (@TruthFairy131) February 11, 2026
GEN Z has the lowest average IQ of all generations.
Recent research points to a notable decline in average IQ test scores among Gen Z compared to Millennials, marking the first recorded drop between generations.
“They’re the first generation in modern history to… pic.twitter.com/fOwVPscAxT
For the first time in modern history, multiple studies show a decline in cognitive test scores among Gen Z.
— Jason Bassler (@JasonBassler1) February 12, 2026
Attention. Memory. Reasoning. Verbal comprehension.
The cognitive systems most vulnerable to constant digital stimulation and fractured attention.
This is what happens… pic.twitter.com/7Ya6bw42r2
In regards to the two above posts, its almost inevitable the advent of digital has been a cause. “The more we hand our power to Big Tech and the State, the less capable we are of thinking critically.” Evidently that is a factor for the digital revolution is increasingly becoming a huge means of monitoring and controlling the populace. Independent thought is largely given up. There is little chance for Sapere aude – the means to think beyond given parameters.
This teacher-turned-cognitive scientist shared a disturbing reality that left the room stunned.
— matrixbot (@thematrixb0t) February 20, 2026
“Our kids are LESS cognitively capable than we were at their age.”
Every previous generation outperformed its parents since we began recording in the late 1800s.
So, what happened?… pic.twitter.com/I0fqrnAAcK
This teacher might conceivably be right in all assumptions. Its important to note the setting this takes place – there’s a right wing senator present so its possible the lecture’s intent has a certain bias. Orange alert!
OECD and PISA data show measurable declines in literacy and numeracy in parts of the West. More importantly Gen Z.
— BruceUnfiltered (@BruceUnfiltered) February 13, 2026
The long-running rise in IQ scores has stalled in some cohorts.
That doesn’t prove biological decline.
But it does raise questions about attention and independent… pic.twitter.com/9rEwWSHvUF
Finally, here’s a plea for greater cognizance on the matter. Its said the statistics do not reveal the matter completely hence there’s no actual decline in biological make up. Rather quite conclusively it is:
“This is the first generation raised entirely inside algorithm driven environments, short form loops, constant notifications, outrage rewarded, nuance buried… It’s actually weaker independent thinking habits. And that’s a cultural issue, not a genetic one.”
