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Test Scores Are Dropping Around The World As Families Lose Interest In Their Kids’ Education 

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According to newly released standardized test results taken by 15-year-olds around the world, test scores are continuing to plunge, while families’ interest in their kids’ education is also decreasing in many high-income countries. 

The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) was taken by more than 760,000 teenagers in dozens of countries last year. The results were released this week and showed that the average scores in math, reading, and science are at their lowest point in PISA history among the nations with some of the most developed economies. 

The US specifically has seen a continuous decline in their reading and math scores. China, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea scored the highest marks on the test with Estonia, the UK, and New Zealand also scoring high, according to reports from the Associated Press. 

There are a multitude of reasons as to why test scores are falling so much around the world, and thanks to an accompanying survey taken by the students, we have a greater insight into why this is happening. 

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When compared to the 2022 PISA results, almost every nation saw a decline in family support for their kids’ education, which was measured by questions about how often parents talk to their kids about their schoolwork, classes, projects, and learning in general.

“Parents see themselves more as a client of the school, not as someone who takes personal interest,” said Andreas Schleicher, director for education and skills for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which runs the PISA test.

The results showed that students who claimed a family member asked them at least weekly about what they did in school that day scored around 35 points higher on the PISA science test, compared with students whose family took less interest. 

One of the other factors is the distraction of technology. Over 25% of students in high-income countries complained that their classmates got distracted by digital devices in most or every science class. Countries that have strong policies controlling the use of cellphones in schools, distraction rates were found to be lower. 

“There’s undoubtedly a strong association between students using digital devices for leisure and lower test scores,” Schleicher said.

When technology is used in the classroom for educational purposes, the results do differ. In Asia, for example, technology is being used in a way to benefit student learning. Fewer than 10% of the students tested in Japan, Korea, and mainland China complained about digital distraction in school. 

Asia also had some of the strongest schools in the world. Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and the Chinese provinces ranked among the top 10 regions for math, science, and reading. 

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Close to 100% of children in the Chinese provinces scored at, or above, baseline for both math and reading. For comparison, in the US only 65% scores at the baseline in math and 74% in reading. 

“To win a technological race, you need the people with the science and the technology and the reading capabilities,” said Tracey Burns, chief of global strategy and research at the National Center for Education and the Economy.

The US scores for math were equal to the average among the nations that administered the test, with the nation being in the top 15 in the world for science, reading, and their new category computational problem-solving. 

US students reading and math scores, however, reached the lowest point since the early 2000s, when the PISA test was first administered. Overall, researchers said that the US’s results should be “taken with a grain of salt” due to the fact that they didn’t meet the standards for having a large enough sample of schools and students to participate in the test. 

One of the biggest issues education systems all over the world are also tackling is the use of artificial intelligence, which has been linked to lower test scores. Students who stated that they never used chatbots performed better than students who did, with almost half of the students in developed economies claiming that they use AI chatbots to help them learn at least once a week.

Schleicher said that China, Japan, Singapore, and Estonia as nations that have succeeded in using AI to “support learning without overusing it.” 

He said that in Asia specifically teachers are more empowered to take the lead in designing AI systems for the classroom. 

“In the United States, teachers largely implement lessons. In Asia, teachers have a very strong role.” 

He also recalled a classroom in China where elementary schoolers were practicing calligraphy with ink and brushes, and then teachers would scan their work using AI to analyze how their handwriting could improve.

From Late Night To YouTube: How ‘Chicken Shop Date’ Created A New Internet Standard For Interviewing 

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12-years-ago, Amelia Dimoldenberg had the vision for a new form of celebrity interviewing. In a world of late night TV hosts and structured conversations, she wanted to create something new by using the power of the internet.

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Bill Gates Says World Isn’t Prepared For The Impact Of AI, Calls For ‘Human-Reserved’ Jobs

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Billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates recently published a 6,000-word essay in which he expressed major concern over artificial intelligence and how unprepared the world’s governments are regarding how much the technology will impact us in the future.

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Google Is Buying Spirit Airlines’ Data for $10 Million to Train AI

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Spirit Airlines’ planes may be grounded for good, but years of data generated by the bankrupt carrier could soon have a second life inside Google’s artificial intelligence models.

Google has agreed to pay $10 million for a trove of Spirit’s corporate data, according to a deal disclosed in bankruptcy court late Monday. Judge Sean Lane is expected to rule on the proposed sale at a hearing Wednesday.

The purchase covers a wide range of information accumulated through the airline’s operations, including emails and other internal communications, spreadsheets, customer transactions, booking and frequent flyer records, and human resources information involving employees.

Spirit’s bankruptcy filing says the material has been stripped of information that could identify individuals.

A Google spokesperson said in a statement to CNN that it will not receive any personal information as part of the purchase.

“We acquired part of an enterprise dataset from Spirit Airlines, which can be helpful in improving our products and AI models.”

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That means anyone who flew Spirit, worked for the airline or communicated with people there could have contributed in some form to the enormous collection of business information Google is buying, though the company is also claiming personally identifying details will not be included.

The data drew interest from more than one artificial intelligence company. Mercor.io, an AI company, submitted the second-highest bid at $7.5 million before Google prevailed with its $10 million offer.

The competition for Spirit’s records comes as artificial intelligence plays a growing role in the airline industry. Numerous carriers have said they are increasingly using AI to set fares, improve scheduling and make other parts of their operations more efficient.

Spirit’s data became available under circumstances that are relatively rare in the airline business.

The discount carrier halted all operations in May and has spent the months since selling what remains of the company through the bankruptcy process. Much of what is being liquidated is what might be expected from a defunct airline — planes, equipment and real estate — but its years of accumulated information also proved valuable enough to attract multimillion-dollar bids from technology companies.

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Usually, a major airline’s bankruptcy ends differently.

Failing carriers are often acquired by another airline, with their aircraft, operations and corporate records absorbed into the buyer’s existing business. Their data consequently changes hands as part of the larger acquisition rather than being auctioned off as a standalone asset.

Spirit did not find such a buyer.

Instead, it became the first significant U.S. airline in about 25 years to be forced to stop flying altogether rather than being purchased and folded into another carrier.

That unusual collapse has allowed pieces of the former airline to be sold separately to buyers with little connection to commercial aviation—including, in Google’s case, a company interested in using Spirit’s anonymized business records to help improve AI.

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OpenAI Announces ChatGPT For Teenagers Amid Safety Concerns 

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This generation of teenagers are the first to have grown up in a world of smart technology and artificial intelligence. Having access to such advanced technology has created concerns over their safety, commitment to education, and desocialization from in person interactions and relationships. 

This week, OpenAI introduced a new version of ChatGPT designed specifically for teenagers. The company stated that ChatGPT for Teens is designed for kids aged 13 to 17 with stronger protections in place. Some of these protections include content restrictions around topics like suicide, self-harm, and romantic and/or sexual chats. It also will provide homework and study support that will help students learn, as opposed to laying out the entire answer for them. 

The company stated that the idea behind this new platform is to guide teens toward healthy AI use in an age-appropriate environment. 

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“We want to treat teens like teens, which means that we have to make sure that we’re showing up with the right developmental stage when we’re not either talking down to them or treating them like kids, but we’re also making sure that they’re not exposed to material that they shouldn’t be exposed to,” said Ann O’Leary, vice president of global policy at OpenAI.

Associate general counsel for AI and privacy at Fairplay, a children’s advocacy group, Brendan Bouffard, stated that the effectiveness of the safeguards remains to be seen, and it’s unclear whether OpenAI’s new platform is enough to “address young users’ compulsive use of and emotional dependence on chatbots.”

“Announcements like these can be seen as a step in the right direction, but I also would caution against parents being lured into this false sense of safety based on the announcement.”

The rise of AI chatbots within the past few years has created major concerns among parents, educators, and child development experts, specifically regarding cheating on schoolwork, and the overall influence these bots can have over a child’s mental health. 

AP reports that last year, research from a watchdog group found that ChatGPT would tell teenagers as young as 13 how to get drunk and/or high, instruct them on how to conceal eating disorders, and compose a suicide letter to their parents if it was prompted. 

The researchers posed as vulnerable teenagers, and found that ChatGPT would start by warning against any “risky” behavior, but would eventually go on to deliver detailed and personalized plans for using drugs, drinking, maintaining an unhealthy diet, and at the worst, how to self-injure or end one’s life. 

According to a 2025 study from Common Sense Media, in the US over 70% of teens turn to AI chatbots for companionship with half of them using them regularly. 

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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that his company is “trying to study emotional overreliance” on the technology. 

The company also explained that ChatGPT for Teens is prevented from suggesting it has personal feelings towards a user or imply any type of consciousness and emotions. 

“We went through and identified what are the hypothetical cues that a model could give that might make a teenager kind of develop a relationship to it,” said Allison Mishkin, head of child development at OpenAI.

OpenAI in general doesn’t verify a user’s age, but it uses “age assurance” to estimate if someone is under 18 based on how they use the technology. If someone is identified as a minor, they are automatically placed into the teen version of the chatbot. 

 O’Leary stated that the whole idea behind the teen chatbot is “to make sure that this is safe, even if you don’t use parental controls.” Parents can also link to their kids accounts to set quiet hours when their child can’t access the platform, and receive notifications when involved in limited high-risk situations. 

“We are adding additional notifications related to eating disorders, while limiting what is shared and focusing on moments when offline support may matter most,” OpenAI said. 

Bouffard said that he would consider the most important safeguards would be restricting ChatGPT’s long-term memory, but as of right now they are not in place by default in teen accounts. 

“That creates a major gap in safety despite the default protections around content and other areas of concern,” he said.

“We continue to also invest in expanding interactive learning because research shows that people learn more effectively when they actively engage and struggle with concepts,” Mishkin said.

cellphones

US Teenagers Advocating For Their Digital Wellbeing As Schools Across The Nation Ban Phones 

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While educators and parents are looking forward to this upcoming school year without having to worry about screens, many students are advocating for their own digital wellbeing, and are trying to ensure they’re a part of the important conversations surrounding the internet’s impact on growing minds. 

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Christopher Nolan Says AI Will Never Replace Humans: ‘It’s Nonsense’

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Christopher Nolan is having another iconic year with his most recent film The Odyssey. During promotion for the film, Nolan addressed the rise in artificial intelligence in the entertainment industry, standing firm in his belief that people “disdain” the technology, and the idea that it will fully replace humans is “nonsense.”

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Robotic Elephants Are Replacing Live Ones In Temples And Festivals Around The World 

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Elephants are revered across India and many religions as manifestations of the divine, and they’re often used in many temple rituals and festivals. Now, robotic elephants made from fiberglass, iron, and rubber are taking the place of live ones in temples around the world as an effort to further protect the species.

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Doctors Skeptical Of New AI Program That Automatically Refills Prescriptions 

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A new program recently launched in Utah that uses artificial intelligence to refill prescriptions without having to talk to your healthcare provider. Doctors, lawyers, and public health experts, however, are skeptical over the safety of this new chatbot, Doctronic, and how well it will actually work to protect patients and their medical needs.

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UK To Ban Kids From Social Media, Ministers Lobby With US To Avoid Backlash 

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The UK has announced that they will be banning social media for kids under the age of 16. Some of the world’s biggest technology companies, including Meta, YouTube, and Snapchat, have spoken out against this decision, claiming that it will only work to push teenagers to more harmful platforms. The ban was announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday. 

A spokesperson for Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said: “As we’ve seen in Australia, bans risk isolating teens from online communities and information, and driving them to unregulated alternatives that lack built-in protections and parental controls.”

YouTube echoed Meta’s sentiment in their own statement: “Blanket bans push kids out of such curated, supervised, beneficial experiences and towards anonymous, less-safe services.”

And Snapchat said: “Because the majority of time spent on Snapchat is in private messaging between friends and family, an outright ban that disconnects teens from those relationships doesn’t make them safer – it may simply push them to less safe platforms.”

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During Starmer’s announcement at a press conference this week, he said that “social media makes children unhappy, it’s making it easier for billies to harass and abuse them, and it could even be harming their mental health.” He then emphasized the argument that the ban was not anti-tech. 

“I do not accept, and I will never accept, that you can’t be both pro tech and AI, and at the same time say we must protect our children,” he said. 

The plan mimics the one enacted earlier this year in Australia, however, it includes both a ban on all main social media platforms, and separate restrictions on online services such as gaming apps such as removing the option to chat with strangers. 

Under this new ban, kids under the age of 16 will not be able to download Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok, X, Facebook, and Instagram. They also will not be able to livestream. Teenagers under the age of 18 will also not be able to use any romantic chatbots designed to simulate sexual relationships. 

“This is not something I do lightly, and I will not present it as cost-free, as if social media has [brought no] benefits to young people, because clearly that is wrong. But the government is always about choices, and it’s clear to me that a total ban is the right choice,” Starmer said.

In Australia, many teenagers have found ways around the bans, which has even led to lawsuits against certain social media platforms for not doing enough to enforce keeping young teens and children off their apps. While this can obviously happen in the UK as well and it is a concern, Starmer stated that it wasn’t the point behind this objective. 

“We don’t say: ‘Oh, look, a teenager managed to get a drink somehow, so let’s not bother banning alcohol sales for children.’ We don’t do that, do we? I just don’t accept that,” he said. 

“Our laws are rules, but they’re also an expression of our values. They shape the social contract, and so this will change the conversations that parents have, and the expectations of children over time.”

“It will make a huge difference. It will make our children safer. It will make our children happier. It will give them more time, more security, full freedom to grow up, more opportunity, and that, at the end of the day, is what this government is about,” he added. 

The other side to this is combating the giant companies that are widely against these bans, which is intertwined with talking to the US government and president and reassuring them that this isn’t a targeted ploy towards US tech companies. 

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UK ministers have been working on a lobbying operation to prevent backlash from the Trump administration. The administration had previously threatened the UK with “a big tariff” if the government does not drop its digital services tax, so they’re moving extra cautiously when it comes to this ban. 

“I honestly think that across world leaders there has always been a recognition that leaders have to take steps to protect children,” Starmer said. “In relation to President Trump, I spoke to him on Saturday, I’ll see him again this afternoon and, yes, of course, we’ll discuss this and many other issues, and lots of other leaders are very interested in it.”

Elon Musk, who owns X and has worked closely with the president, said “this censorship law is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. The real goal is to enable the UK government to track everyone.” 

Ministers are working on every detail of this ban and what it will entail. They’ve announced late-night social media curfews for 16-and-17-year-olds. One of the workarounds that teenagers have used in Australia is using virtual private networks (VPNs) to circumvent geographical internet controls, so the UK is looking into regulating those networks as well. 

This move will have a major impact on young people. In the UK, among 13-to-15-year-olds about 90% have a social media account, and have stated that their main resource for getting the news is YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, according to reports from the Guardian. 

The UK’s technology secretary, Liz Kendall, echoed Starmer’s sentiment regarding the importance of protecting children and their mental health and not having such a focus on how teens can work around the bans. 

“I have no doubt children who are currently on social media, for whom it’s an integral part of their lives, will try and get around the ban, and many will succeed,” she said. 

“But we do think we need to draw this line in the sand, give greater clarity to parents and greater protections for children.”

“I’ve never thought that the ban will be a complete silver bullet … It will be as much about resetting expectations and social norms for children who are seven, eight, nine, 10, now that they won’t be going on social media until they’re 16,” she told the BBC.

“This is a huge statement of our values, who we are as a country, and it’s a way of actually bringing our country together,” Starmer said.