Early social media use linked to lower academic performance, study finds
Early use of social media may negatively affect students’ academic performance, according to a new study that tracked more than 5,200 students in northern Italy over several years, reports a Qazinform News Agency correspondent.
In a scientific article published in the journal Nature, researchers analyzed data from 5,227 students by combining a survey on digital habits with standardized test scores in Italian, English and mathematics collected throughout their school years. The study compared children who opened their first social media account in grades 6, 7 or 8 with those who waited until grade 9 or later.
The researchers found that students who joined social media earlier performed worse in mathematics and Italian during lower secondary school. The negative effects were strongest among those who created accounts in grades 6 and 7 and became more pronounced with longer exposure to social media. Early users were also more likely to repeat a school year, attend a less academically demanding upper secondary school and report lower academic self-confidence.
The study found no measurable impact on English test scores. Researchers suggested that frequent exposure to English language content on social media platforms may partly offset negative effects in that subject, although they stressed this remains a hypothesis.
The authors also found evidence that smartphones play an important role in the relationship. Students who checked their phones frequently during key moments of the day, such as while doing homework, before bed or immediately after waking up, appeared to experience a substantial share of the decline in academic performance.
The study was based on students enrolled in grades 10 and 11 during the 2023 to 2024 school year in Italy's Lombardy region. Researchers linked survey responses with longitudinal data from Italy's National Institute for the Evaluation of the Education and Training System (INVALSI) and used a difference in differences model to estimate the impact of early social media use while accounting for prior academic performance and family background.
The authors said the findings support efforts to delay children's access to social media, strengthen digital literacy in schools and improve enforcement of existing age restrictions for online platforms.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that French lawmakers had approved a law banning children under the age of 15 from accessing social media platforms, making France the first country in the European Union to adopt such a measure.
