This article presents the role of digitization in the cognitive development of the two most recent generations of students: generations Z and Alpha. Digitization causes both structural and functional changes in the development of children and teens. Due to their characteristics (i.e., the non-material and multisensory nature of interactions), digital sources influence the development of basic psychological processes, such as perception and attention, which make thinking possible. Studies show that the use of digital materials reduces the ability to sustain attention in reading, and that it decreases the ability of all age groups (i.e., children, teens, and adults) to understand and remember what has been read. This article explains the reasons for this, drawing attention to the fact that effective learning requires both formal and strategic digital skills, and that especially the latter are more poorly developed among users of digital sources.
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