This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Something is happening to 15- to 24-year-olds. The latest annual Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey found that between 2012 and 2024, the cognitive ability scores of 15- to 24-year-olds declined.
No other age group experienced this drop. In a task that tests the strength of their working memory, scores for 15- to 24-year-olds fell from 4 in 2012 to 3.8 in 2024, out of a possible 7. In another task that indicates brain processing speed, this age group's scores also fell—from 55.4 in 2012 to 52.7 in 2024, out of a possible 110 points.
In other age groups, these cognitive scores remain fairly constant. Cognitive ability shapes a lot: whether people find work, how well they do their jobs and their chances of promotion and higher pay. Higher cognitive ability is also linked with higher financial literacy and financial well-being.
So, the falling scores among teenagers and people in their early 20s are concerning. Could this decline be partly linked to young people's growing screen use? And if so, how might heavy screen time be shaping their focus and attention?
The HILDA Survey follows the lives of more than 17,000 Australians each year over the course of their lifetimes, collecting information on many aspects of life in Australia, including household and family relationships, income and employment, health and education. Based on data collected in 2024, the latest survey confirms what earlier ones found. Cognitive ability tends to decline with age, and the slide steepens once we've blown out the candles on our 50th birthday cake.
Research already links weaker cognitive skills—for example, a less sharp working memory or slower processing speed—to lower financial literacy and poorer financial well-being. The latest HILDA results support this. Among 15- to 24-year-olds, those who scored poorly on the cognitive tasks also struggled with some basic but important financial concepts.
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