Many Gen Z students are arriving at college unable to complete reading assignments at levels previously expected, prompting professors to change how they teach and raising concerns about the long-term impact on learning, critical thinking and social development.
Some educators say students are struggling to understand even basic sentences and increasingly rely on AI-generated summaries instead of reading assigned materials, reported Fortune.
Jessica Hooten Wilson, a professor of great books and humanities at Pepperdine University, told Fortune that the issue extends beyond critical thinking.
"It's not even an inability to critically think," Wilson said.
"It's an inability to read sentences." The report noted that nearly half of Americans did not read a single book in 2025, while adults ages 18 to 29 read an average of 5.8 books during the year.
