Study: Early Social Media Use Hurts Kids' Math Scores
A study of 5,227 students found earlier account creation was linked to lower math and Italian scores, higher grade-repetition risk, and weaker academic confidence.
- On Monday, Nature Human Behaviour published a study by Marco Gui et al. examining over 5,000 students in Lombardy, Italy, linking early social media account creation to lower standardized school performance.
- Students who opened accounts in 6th or 7th grade experienced significant score drops compared to peers waiting until 9th grade, with early adopters losing six months of math learning by 10th grade.
- Distraction during homework, bedtime, and school hours drives this decline, Dr. Poppy Gibson of The Open University said, while Dr. Eoin Whelan of the University of Galway identified the 'child's inability to control their use' as a primary factor.
- Experts urge caution given the observational nature of the research; Prof. Kevin McConway of The Open University praised the authors for advising that 'findings should be interpreted cautiously' due to reliance on student memory.
- Educators emphasize that digital literacy training, rather than simple bans, will better prepare teenagers to 'live in a society shaped by technology' through responsible and ethical use.
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Kids who join social media early get worse grades, a big study finds
Getting on social media too young may cost children in the classroom. A large new study has found that pupils who joined the platforms early went on to earn worse grades than those who waited. The research is unusually robust. Published in Nature Human Behaviour, it tracked more than 5,000 pupils in northern Italy from […] This story continues at The Next Web
The results indicated that students who opened social media accounts in grades 6 or 7 showed lower scores in mathematics and Italian
If you access social media early on, you get worse grades. An Italian long-term study shows measurable learning losses – and asks uncomfortable questions to parents and politics.
A new study from Italy confirms the concerns of many parents: Those who travel on Instagram or Tiktok at a young age have lower grades. However, in a school subject there is a surprising positive effect for the teenagers.
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