Jun 2, 2025
A 10th-grade English teacher is walking away from the classroom — and lighting up social media on her way out. Hannah Maria, a 20-something former educator, says she’s quitting because of a sharp drop in literacy and bad behavior in her classroom.
“I really don’t have a lot of faith in some of these kids that I teach,” she said in a TikTok video circulating on X.
Advertisement
Her emotional announcement has since gone viral — even though her account is now private, the video has roughly 7 million views.
According to her, kids in her class can’t sit still, have diminished attention spans and can barely read or write. And the biggest factor contributing to this decline in learning ability and behavior, she believes, is their excessive reliance on technology.
“Technology is directly contributing to the literacy decrease we are seeing in this country right now,” Maria said in her post.
Here’s why she believes the problem could get worse if lawmakers, regulators and school boards don’t step in right away.
AI-driven literacy crisis
The overreliance on AI-enabled devices has become a crutch that most students can’t do without, according to Maria.
“A lot of these kids don’t know how to read because they’ve had things read to them or they can click a button and have things read out loud to them in seconds,” she explained. “Their attention spans are weaning because everything is high-stimulation and they can just scroll [away from something] in less than a minute. They can’t sit still for very long.”
Advertisement
Annual reading and math skill assessments by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) seem to confirm her observation. Average scores have declined 7 points in reading and 14 points in mathematics over the past decade.
Younger kids are struggling too. Less than half (47%) of kindergarten students were able to read at grade level during the 2021 to 2022 school year, according to Real Clear Education.
School-aged children may be struggling with reading because they’re not practicing as much as they used to. According to Steam Ahead’s analysis of National Assessment of Educational Progress data, only 17% of 13-year-olds reported reading for fun almost daily — the lowest rate since 1984.
Instead, children find screen time more engaging and enjoyable. A study published in the JAMA Pediatrics medical journal found that adolescents aged 13 to 18 years spend 8.5 hours daily on average using screen-based media.
This tech addiction is leaving many young Americans unprepared for life outside school, according to Maria.
Advertisement
“I understand that the world is going in a direction where AI is going to be more prevalent, even in the workforce someday,” she said. “That still doesn’t take away [from the fact that] these are basic skills you need to survive.”
She calls on regulators and school boards to step in and solve the issue before it’s too late.
Must Read
- Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake — here’s what it is and the simple steps to fix it ASAP
- Robert Kiyosaki begs investors not to miss this ‘explosion’ — says this 1 asset will surge 400% in a year
- Vanguard reveals what could be coming for U.S. stocks, and it’s raising alarm bells for retirees. Here’s why and how to protect yourself
Join 250,000+ readers and get Moneywise’s best stories and exclusive interviews first — clear insights curated and delivered weekly. Subscribe now.
Rethinking education
Maria’s recommended solution for the problem is to “cut off technology from these kids, probably until they go to college.”
More than a third of U.S. adults seem to share Maria’s view that the use of AI has “very or somewhat negative” impacts on the K12 education system, according to a 2023 YouGov poll.
However, most adults are not in favor of restrictions or an outright ban. Only 24% of U.S. adults said students should be prevented from using AI while 52% said schools should teach children how to use AI appropriately.
Nevertheless, if AI tools become more potent and pervasive while literacy rates continue to drop, teachers, regulators and parents may have to rethink the way they educate the next generation.
You May Also Like
- Turning 50 with $0 saved for retirement? Most people don’t realize they’re actually just entering their prime earning decade. Here are 6 ways to catch up fast
- This 20-year-old lotto winner refused $1M in cash and chose $1,000/week for life. Now she’s getting slammed for it. Which option would you pick?
- Warren Buffett used these 8 repeatable money rules to turn $9,800 into a $150B fortune. Start using them today to get rich (and stay rich)
- Here are 5 easy ways to own multiple properties like Bezos and Beyoncé. You can start with $10 (and no, you don’t have to manage a single thing)
Vishesh Raisinghani is a financial journalist covering personal finance, investing and the global economy. He's also the founder of Sharpe Ascension Inc., a content marketing agency focused on investment firms. His work has appeared in Moneywise, Yahoo Finance!, Motley Fool, Seeking Alpha, Mergers & Acquisitions Magazine and Piggybank.
Managing Money • 3h ago
