OECD Reading Scores Fall Across 91 Countries

The findings put a fresh spotlight on how quickly digital habits are reshaping education. OECD education chief Andreas Schleicher said students are becoming “quicker but less accurate readers,” a shift he attributed to screen use and digitalization, with 46% of students reporting weekly or more use of AI chatbots to help them learn.

For investors, the report is a warning that the productivity boost AI may deliver to current workers could be offset by weaker skills among tomorrow’s workforce. That has implications for companies positioned to sell AI software into schools and universities, as well as for policymakers weighing restrictions on smartphones and generative AI in classrooms.

The OECD said the decline has been especially pronounced since 2018 among “advantaged” students, narrowing — but not eliminating — the gap with poorer peers and suggesting the problem is no longer confined to lower-income households. U.S. students ranked 13th in reading, below their 2022 showing, while the U.K. improved across all three tested subjects and moved into the top 10.

The report is likely to intensify debate over school phone bans and how AI should be used in classrooms, with the OECD saying bans on smartphones during school hours help halt the deterioration in learning. For education technology firms, the message is mixed: AI remains a growth market, but adoption that replaces rather than supports reading and research may prove a drag on learning outcomes and, eventually, economic potential.