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Teenagers around the world are recording their weakest education results this century, according to the latest assessment by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tested around 760,000 15-year-olds across 91 countries and economies.
Reading, mathematics and science scores all fell to their lowest levels since comparable data began in 2000.
The OECD said average reading performance had dropped to a level previously associated with students about one year younger.
The OECD recorded a sharp decline in reading performance.
The PISA reading score stood at 501 in 2012. It fell to 466 in the latest assessment.
Maths and science also recorded significant declines.
Science fell from a high of 506 in 2009 to 486. Mathematics dropped from 502 to 469 over the same period.
Mathias Cormann, OECD Secretary-General, linked weaker reading results with increased screen use and declining interest in reading for pleasure.
He also pointed to changes in how students approach texts.
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According to Cormann, more students now rush through reading tasks. This can lead to quick but incorrect answers.
The report examined the growing role of digital devices in education.
The OECD stopped short of supporting blanket smartphone bans in schools. However, it found links between digital distraction and weaker academic performance.
Digital distraction was associated with lower science scores in 59 of 82 education systems covered by the analysis.
More than one in four students also said digital devices distract classmates during science lessons.
Students in OECD countries reported spending an average of 3.4 hours each weekday using digital devices for leisure.
They spent another three hours on devices for learning at school and home.
The OECD said digital technology can support education when used appropriately.
However, the benefits appear to have limits.
Cormann said student performance began to decline when total digital device use exceeded about five hours a day.
The findings suggest that technology alone cannot solve education challenges.
Schools may need to balance digital learning with traditional reading and focused classroom work.
Artificial intelligence has also become part of students’ learning routines.
The assessment found that nearly half of students regularly use AI chatbots for learning.
However, the results varied depending on how students used the technology.
Students who used AI tools to draft essays, summarise texts or research topics generally scored about 20 points lower in science.
The OECD said that gap is roughly equivalent to one year of learning.
The findings do not necessarily prove that AI caused lower scores. They instead highlight concerns about how students use generative AI for schoolwork.
East Asian education systems dominated the highest rankings.
Participating Chinese cities, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan recorded some of the strongest results across reading, mathematics and science.
Britain and Estonia were the only education systems outside East Asia to enter the top 10 across all three subjects.
The results add to concerns about a broader decline in educational performance.
They also raise questions about the impact of screen habits, changing reading behaviour and the growing use of AI on students’ learning.
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