August M
Navigating screen time starts early in the digital age.
Children often use their own smartphones while juggling schoolwork and family life. But going online too early may carry a hidden cost for their learning, reports The Guardian.
The early cost
Pupils who open social media accounts between ages 11 and 12 score lower on school tests than classmates who wait until age 14. According to The Guardian, researchers at the University of Milano-Bicocca in Italy found the gap equals roughly six months of academic progress by age 16.
The team analyzed survey data and exam results from over 5,000 Italian students, controlling for family structure and earlier grades.
Lead researcher Dr. Marco Gui highlighted the issue with early platform use. “I think we now know there is a problem and that it’s a complex problem, to do with how these platforms are built,” Gui stated, adding, “Our research shows that at least during pre-adolescence, these social media are problematic.”
The gap showed up clearly in maths and reading, while English scores were unaffected due to regular online exposure.
Always checking in
Frequent phone checks day and night proved to be a major driver of lower test results. Constant notifications pull students into a state of divided attention.
Explaining this mental drain, Gui noted, “We speculate that one of the mechanisms is the continuous state of alert that social media used on a smartphone exerts on minors’ lives.” He explained that checking messages distracts children from physical surroundings.
Gui added, “This means being less present in the physical space of the family or the house. And from a cognitive point of view, it could mean being less engaged in something that takes time, as homework can for a student of that age.”
Finding better habits
The study comes as governments explore stricter screen rules, with Australia enacting an under-16 ban and the UK considering similar action.
Gui called bans an “emergency policy” while urging safer design. “For pre-adolescents we have to work on diminishing the social relevance of these environments,” he said.
Psychiatry professor Dennis Ougrin from Queen Mary University of London urged balanced guidance. “The message for parents, educators and policymakers is not necessarily to ban social media, but to support young people in developing healthy habits when interacting with social media,” Ougrin noted.
Sources: The Guardian, Nature Human Behaviour
