Jimmy Donaldson, better known as online alias MrBeast, has shifted his focus from viral challenges and philanthropy to a far older institution: the classroom and its education system.
In a recent discussion about schooling in the Good Guys Podcast, the highest-subscribed YouTuber argued that the way students are taught today feels fundamentally outdated. “Why are students today being taught the same way their parents were?” he asked. Reflecting on his own time in school, he described a system where teachers “just stand there, read out of a book and write on a whiteboard,” despite the rapid evolution of technology in nearly every other industry.
MrBeast pointed to Mark Rober as an example, noting how complex topics can be explained in 20 minutes through high-production, visually engaging videos that hold attention and improve retention. “Just because our parents were taught one way doesn’t mean we need to keep teaching that same way,” he said, adding that education should be “reformed dramatically.”
His criticism taps into a broader shift already underway. Over the past decade, platforms like YouTube have quietly become parallel classrooms, particularly for STEM subjects, coding, and financial literacy. Students increasingly supplement traditional lessons with explainer videos, interactive simulations, and bite-sized tutorials. In many cases, these formats prioritize clarity, pacing, and storytelling over rigid curriculum structures.
However, the question is not as simple as swapping textbooks for digital devices with videos.
Traditional classrooms serve multiple roles beyond simply delivering content. Schools provide social development, structured environments, access to support services, and standardized assessment frameworks, which have a proven track record. Not all subjects translate cleanly into fast-paced video segments, and not all students thrive in self-directed digital formats.
According to a BBC report, Sweden moved away from heavy classroom technology use after reading standards dropped during the years when laptops and iPads replaced textbooks. Following a sharp fall in its PISA scores, the government began investing millions in printed textbooks and library books, while promoting handwriting and reducing screen time in early grades. Devices are still used, but experts say reading levels are now improving as schools return to more paper-based learning.
Research on attention spans and screen fatigue also complicates the assumption that more technology automatically equals better outcomes. Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, a teacher turned neuroscientist, claimed that digital devices decrease a child’s cognitive development, and GenZ is the first generation to underperform in cognitive measures, unlike all previous generations, which outperformed their previous generations.
Despite that, Donaldson’s core point reflects a generational tension. Students today grow up immersed in interactive media. They are accustomed to personalization algorithms, instant feedback, and dynamic visuals. Sitting through hour-long passive lectures can feel disconnected from the way they engage with information outside school walls.
He also challenged the structure of the school day itself, suggesting that with optimized, video-based courses and more hands-on learning, students “could probably learn more in 5 hours than they currently do in 8.” Recently, MrBeast, in his YouTube video, where he built 10 schools across the world in countries such as Ghana, Kenya, India, the USA, and Ecuador.
That claim mirrors ongoing debates among education reformers about efficiency, flipped classrooms, and competency-based learning models. Some pilot programs worldwide already experiment with shorter academic days combined with project-based work and digital modules.
MrBeast’s comments underline a reality educators have wrestled with for years in the digital age. The industrial era model of schooling was designed for uniformity and scale. The current digital era rewards customization and engagement. Whether that means fully reimagined school systems or incremental updates to teaching methods remains an open question.
