Education Minister Jason Clare has called for a sweeping "digital detox" in Australian schools after the latest international assessment results revealed that 15-year-old students have recorded their worst-ever performances in both reading and maths, raising urgent questions about the role of technology in modern classrooms.

Record-Low Scores in Reading and Maths

The results from the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) paint a troubling picture of long-term academic decline. Australian students' reading scores have fallen to their lowest level on record, with the current cohort sitting roughly two years of learning behind where students were performing in 2000.

The picture is equally concerning in mathematics. Maths performance has also dropped to its lowest point ever recorded, with students now more than two years behind the benchmark set in 2003. Despite the decline, Australia continues to sit above the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average.

The results have intensified a national debate about how screens and digital devices are shaping — and potentially undermining — student learning. For a closer look at how artificial intelligence is already reshaping classrooms across the country, see our earlier coverage on how AI is splitting Australia's education system.

Minister Points to Screen Time as a Key Driver

Minister Clare was direct in linking the declining results to excessive use of technology in schools, arguing the data makes a compelling case for action.

"The more time they spend in front of a laptop or tablet, the lower their results are," Clare said. "I think that tells us that we need a digital detox in our schools."

He was careful to note the problem extends well beyond mobile phones, which have already been banned or restricted across many Australian schools. The concern, he said, is about the pervasive and often unfocused use of all digital devices.

"When we were at school there was a computer room. Now these things are everywhere at home and at school," he said. "They're not always used to learn. They're sometimes used just for entertainment as well, or as a distraction in the classroom."

Clare also pointed to comparable moves abroad, noting that New York has announced plans to ban artificial intelligence from primary schools, and that the Trump administration has directed schools nationally to use technology purposefully rather than continuously.

States Move on Screen Time Limits

At a state level, Victoria has already announced plans to cap screen time in primary schools at 90 minutes per day and at two hours per day in high schools — a move that signals growing concern among education authorities about unchecked device use in classrooms.

The PISA findings add weight to those concerns. The report found that 28 per cent of students across OECD countries reported their classmates were distracted by digital devices during most or every science class. Meanwhile, 46 per cent of students in OECD countries said they use AI chatbots weekly or more often to support their learning — though the OECD noted the relationship between AI use and academic performance is complex.

The results also flagged worrying gaps in critical thinking. Fewer than half of OECD students demonstrated both a willingness to check the credibility of information sources and a tendency to trust scientific evidence over common sense — a finding that raises fresh concerns about young people's susceptibility to misinformation.

What Happens Next

Minister Clare confirmed he would raise the digital technology issue formally with state and territory education ministers at their upcoming meeting in the coming weeks. With record-low scores now on the table and international momentum building for tighter controls on classroom technology, pressure is mounting for coordinated national action on how — and how much — digital devices are used in Australian schools.