A recent study found that higher social media use in early adolescence was associated with lower performance in certain cognitive functions.
Just over an hour of additional social media use each day is enough to drag down adolescents’ reading and memory scores, according to a new study that tracked more than 6,500 children as their screen time climbed during early adolescence.
Based on data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, researchers measured cognitive skills in children ages 9 to 13 using standardized tests of reading, memory, and vocabulary. The findings revealed that even low levels of increased social media use were associated with measurably poorer performance.
Small Increases, Measurable Impact
The study, recently published in JAMA, divided participants into three groups based on their social media habits: in one, about 58 percent showed no or very low social media use, in another, 37 percent had low increasing use, and in a final group, nearly 6 percent demonstrated high increasing social media use.
Compared to adolescents who used up to around 20 minutes of social media daily, those who used around 80 minutes a day read fewer words correctly and made more mistakes when tasked to match a word they heard to a corresponding image. They also performed worse on a memory test. Those with high increasing use, adding roughly three hours per day, scored up to four points lower on the tests.
“This analysis found that both low and high increases in social media use throughout early adolescence were significantly associated with lower performance in specific aspects of cognitive function,” the study authors wrote.
While the point differences may seem small, they could translate into real-world academic consequences, the researchers noted—potentially leading to longer completion times for assignments or students falling behind in cumulative subjects, such as math and reading.
‘Real World’ Impact
The cognitive differences between children who use social media for long periods of time as compared to those who do not are likely meaningful at the population level, Sheri Madigan, a registered clinical psychologist from the University of Calgary, and colleagues pointed out in an accompanying editorial.
“Subtle differences in cognition at a group level may translate into students taking longer on average to complete assignments; falling behind in cumulative subjects, such as math and reading; or disengaging academically altogether,” they wrote.
The findings come at a time when some schools are considering phone bans during instructional hours, providing new evidence about how social media use might affect learning.
However, experts caution against drawing definitive conclusions about causation.
It’s hard to say that social media alone causes these changes, Dr. Nona Kocher, a Miami-based psychiatrist at Quintessence Psychiatry, and not involved in the study, told The Epoch Times.
“The study shows a link, but not proof of cause and effect,” she added. “Kids who spend more time online might also be sleeping less, reading less, or multitasking more, all of which can affect memory and focus.”
The home environment, school workload, and personality traits can also play a role, she said. “So, social media might be part of the picture, but it’s likely one piece of a much bigger puzzle.”
The researchers noted limitations, including reliance on self-reported social media use and that the study’s observational design cannot prove cause and effect.
