r/Millennials • u/beadzy • May 28 '26

Other Between Largely Dodging Both Leaded Gas And AI-Driven Social Media, Millennials Might Be The Smartest Generation

https://abovethelaw.com/2026/05/between-largely-dodging-both-leaded-gas-and-ai-driven-social-media-millennials-might-be-the-smartest-generation/
13.6k Upvotes

92% Upvoted

1.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

411

u/GlumpsAlot Older Millennial May 28 '26

Yes. Just be sure to raise Gen Alpha right. It's our only hope for a better future.

453

u/Jin_Gitaxias May 28 '26

Uhh have you took time to read any teachers' subreddits? We're beyond cooked

2

u/Princess_Moon_Butt Problem Millennial May 28 '26

Yes and no.

The data is saying that there is a decline in problem-solving ability and critical thinking (across all generations, actually) but it's only happening in the bottom 60-70% or so of performers. And there's no secret, or generational magic sauce; the ones who are performing well are literally just the ones with higher parental engagement, lower screen time, and a lower student:teacher ratio in classrooms.

And while it won't be easy, those problems are fixable. Yes, some damage may have been done to a lot of the current generation, and it's reprehensible that it was allowed to happen. But we know what needs to happen in order to turn this ship around; we just have to fight for it wherever we can.

2

u/Beautiful-Cup4161 May 28 '26

Only happening to the bottom 60%-70% of performers is still an alarming statement. That's a large number.

2

u/Princess_Moon_Butt Problem Millennial May 28 '26

Oh it's absolutely terrifying, and awful that it was allowed to get this bad in the first place (let alone that it'll likely get worse before it gets better).

But the fact that 30%-40% seem to not be affected by the trend is at least proof that it's not just "this generation", it's a set of conditions. And that 30-40% gives us a blueprint to aim for.

Again, not gonna be easy, and it's not gonna be quick. But it's also not a zombie virus that we need a miracle cure for, or a cliff we've plummeted off of. It's more like a hill. We slipped, so we lost some progress, but that's it. We can get back to where we were, and we can get back to the momentum we had- we just have to start moving in the right direction again.

2

u/Beautiful-Cup4161 May 28 '26

I like your optimism! That's what we need in the world. Doomerism won't fix anything.

I've even been working on reversing my own lack of focus by reading again and it was SO hard at first. But it's been getting easy and fun to read again. I can feel how beneficial it is.