An Italian study involving more than 5,000 students found an association between early entry into social media and lower school grades.
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Author: Redaction
Early entry into social media is associated with lower grades
Access to social media at younger ages may be linked to poorer academic performance in subsequent years. This is one of the conclusions of a study published in the scientific journal Nature Human Behaviour.
The research followed 5,227 students from 28 schools in northern Italy and analysed the relationship between the age at which they created their first account on digital platforms and the results obtained in Italian, English and Mathematics tests.
Students who started using social media between the ages of 11 and 12 achieved, on average, lower results in Italian and Mathematics than their peers who waited until the age of 14 to do so. At ages 15 and 16, the difference corresponded to around six months of learning.
In the case of English, the researchers did not identify a similar negative association.
Frequent mobile phone use also appears to be linked
The study also analysed mobile phone usage habits. Students who reported checking their device more frequently tended to have created social media accounts earlier and also had lower grades in Italian and Mathematics in the 10th year.
These students also reported lower levels of parental supervision regarding their use of the platforms. For the researchers, parental monitoring may play an important role in how younger people manage the time they spend online.
Nevertheless, the results should be interpreted with caution. As this was an observational study, it is not possible to establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship between the use of social media and lower grades.
The role of parents in platform use
Early entry into social media often occurs before the minimum age set by the platforms themselves. Against this backdrop, family supervision can help establish more balanced digital habits.
Delaying the creation of accounts, setting screen-time limits and avoiding mobile phone use during study time or before going to bed are some possible measures.
It is also important to talk to children about the content they encounter, contact with strangers and the risks associated with online exposure.
The Italian study does not mean that social media, in itself, is responsible for poorer academic performance. However, the results reinforce the importance of monitoring the age at which young people join these platforms and the intensity of their use.
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