Sixth-Grade Social Media Start Tied to Weaker Later Grades, Italian Study Finds
TL;DR Summary
A Nature study of over 5,000 Italian teens finds that opening a social media account in the 6th grade (ages 11–12) correlates with lower math and Italian scores by age 15–16, an effect about six months of schooling and that grows over time; the impact is smaller for 7th grade starts and negligible by 8th grade, with English scores unaffected. The authors caution that correlation does not imply causation and discuss possible policy implications amid debates over age restrictions for minors.
- Early Social Media Use Linked to Lower Grades Years Later, Study Finds Gizmodo
- Longitudinal effect of early social media use on standardized learning outcomes during school career nature.com
- Children using social media at younger age appear to do worse in school tests The Guardian
- Early social media use among children linked to lower grades The Times
- Kids who start social media earlier may do worse at school Phys.org
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