Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
Does it seem to you as if today’s kids are not as smart and lacking in common sense than previous generations? You’re not imagining things…
The current focus on education — treating the human brain like a computer and using artificial intelligence (AI) to feed it knowledge — may be great for sitting in front of a screen playing video games, but not so much on real learning and creativity, the one true superpower every human being has.
Educator Dr. Jared Horvath, author of The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids’ Learning — And How To Help Them Thrive Again ( amazon.com/dp/B0G5622DQQ?kuid=1bf60226-0586-4471-8a14-647f83652d5f-1773554536&kref=2qBLVQtxWSZa ) explains why today’s kids are cognitively declining and describes what we can do to reverse that downward trend this week on Spirit Gym.
Learn more about Jared at his LME Global website at lmeglobal.net and on social media sites like Facebook at facebook.com/lmeglobal.net , YouTube at youtube.com/jaredcooney , LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/jared-cooney-horvath-phd-med-730704b2 and Instagram at instagram.com/jared.cooney.horvath .
0:00 Intro
8:05 Pursuing the science of learning.
13:20 “The brain is not a computer, and you are not your brain.”
24:49 Our kids are losing their conceptual natures, and are cognitively declining.
27:56 Humanity’s greatest superpower.
32:32 The three stages of creativity.
35:30 Why are kids living East Asian countries smarter and more creative than those in America?
50:01 Why teachers don’t have a say in the education process.
58:20 Focusing on proximal goals versus distal goals.
1:09:29 Do you really understand the difference between opinions and knowledge?
1:16:01 AI falsely assumes human thought is best represented in speech.
1:21:00 The reification of education.
1:28:09 When Paul was a child, he dreamed of becoming a bank robber.
1:35:42 The breadth of your knowledge is only as good as the depth of it, which may explain why education is broken.
1:42:32 The importance of mastery.
1:53:07 Is it really cheaper for schools to divest from digital tech for physical education and the arts?
2:02:28 Why it is NOT important for kids to be taught how to use AI.
2:16:01 Jared’s real problem with AI, aside from the fact that it does nothing: Its intellectual heritage is hidden.
2:21:08 The tech outsourcing of basic parenting.
2:38:25 The digital outsourcing of executive function skills and how it affects our kids.
2:49:38 Paul’s explores AI with Claude Anthropic.
2:54:39 Jared’s recommendations about what parents can do today to improve how their children learn and live.
Listen to Paul's conversation with Dr. Jared Horvath and check out the show notes page on our Spirit Gym website at paulchek.com/blog/podcast-episodes/393-your-kids-dropping-iq-is-not-an-accident-heres-the-proof-with-dr-jared-horvath
Thanks to our awesome sponsors!
• Pique Life piquelife.com/paulchek (save up to 20% for life and get a FREE starter kit when you subscribe to one or more of Pique’s amazing beverages!)
• Paleovalley paleovalley.com/chek15 (save 15% on your first purchase)
• Organifi organifi.com/chek20 (save 20% on your purchase by using the code CHEK20 at checkout)
• CHEK Institute paul.chekinstitute.com/spiritgym (learn about the new CHEK Integrated Health Foundation program today!)
• Wild Pastures wildpastures.com/paulchek (save 20% and free shipping for life plus $15 on your first order)
• BIOptimizers bioptimizers.com/spiritgym (save an extra 15% on your purchase by using the code PAUL15 at checkout)
We may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using affiliate links.
Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear Music
Does it seem to you as if today’s kids are not as smart and lacking in common sense than previous generations? You’re not imagining things…
The current focus on education — treating the human brain like a computer and using artificial intelligence (AI) to feed it knowledge — may be great for sitting in front of a screen playing video games, but not so much on real learning and creativity, the one true superpower every human being has.
Educator Dr. Jared Horvath, author of The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids’ Learning — And How To Help Them Thrive Again ( amazon.com/dp/B0G5622DQQ?kuid=1bf60226-0586-4471-8a14-647f83652d5f-1773554536&kref=2qBLVQtxWSZa ) explains why today’s kids are cognitively declining and describes what we can do to reverse that downward trend this week on Spirit Gym.
Learn more about Jared at his LME Global website at lmeglobal.net and on social media sites like Facebook at facebook.com/lmeglobal.net , YouTube at youtube.com/jaredcooney , LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/jared-cooney-horvath-phd-med-730704b2 and Instagram at instagram.com/jared.cooney.horvath .
0:00 Intro
8:05 Pursuing the science of learning.
13:20 “The brain is not a computer, and you are not your brain.”
24:49 Our kids are losing their conceptual natures, and are cognitively declining.
27:56 Humanity’s greatest superpower.
32:32 The three stages of creativity.
35:30 Why are kids living East Asian countries smarter and more creative than those in America?
50:01 Why teachers don’t have a say in the education process.
58:20 Focusing on proximal goals versus distal goals.
1:09:29 Do you really understand the difference between opinions and knowledge?
1:16:01 AI falsely assumes human thought is best represented in speech.
1:21:00 The reification of education.
1:28:09 When Paul was a child, he dreamed of becoming a bank robber.
1:35:42 The breadth of your knowledge is only as good as the depth of it, which may explain why education is broken.
1:42:32 The importance of mastery.
1:53:07 Is it really cheaper for schools to divest from digital tech for physical education and the arts?
2:02:28 Why it is NOT important for kids to be taught how to use AI.
2:16:01 Jared’s real problem with AI, aside from the fact that it does nothing: Its intellectual heritage is hidden.
2:21:08 The tech outsourcing of basic parenting.
2:38:25 The digital outsourcing of executive function skills and how it affects our kids.
2:49:38 Paul’s explores AI with Claude Anthropic.
2:54:39 Jared’s recommendations about what parents can do today to improve how their children learn and live.
Listen to Paul's conversation with Dr. Jared Horvath and check out the show notes page on our Spirit Gym website at paulchek.com/blog/podcast-episodes/393-your-kids-dropping-iq-is-not-an-accident-heres-the-proof-with-dr-jared-horvath
Thanks to our awesome sponsors!
• Pique Life piquelife.com/paulchek (save up to 20% for life and get a FREE starter kit when you subscribe to one or more of Pique’s amazing beverages!)
• Paleovalley paleovalley.com/chek15 (save 15% on your first purchase)
• Organifi organifi.com/chek20 (save 20% on your purchase by using the code CHEK20 at checkout)
• CHEK Institute paul.chekinstitute.com/spiritgym (learn about the new CHEK Integrated Health Foundation program today!)
• Wild Pastures wildpastures.com/paulchek (save 20% and free shipping for life plus $15 on your first order)
• BIOptimizers bioptimizers.com/spiritgym (save an extra 15% on your purchase by using the code PAUL15 at checkout)
We may earn commissions from qualifying purchases using affiliate links.
Music Credit: Meet Your Heroes (444Hz), Composed, mixed, mastered and produced by Michael RB Schwartz of Brave Bear Music
