A report last year from the University of Toronto showed how using an electronic device
in the classroom is a distraction not only for the student user but also for peers
sitting nearby. Now, research from The Miriam Hospital’s Center for Behavioral
and Preventive Medicine has found a link between social media use and poor
academic performance.
Study participants said that social networking and
watching television negatively affected their academic performance. At the same
time, the researchers found that freshman women spent nearly 12 hours a day
using one of the many forms of social media.
The study said students who spent the most time using social media had “fewer academic
behaviors, such as completing homework and attending class, lower academic
confidence, and more problems affecting their schoolwork, like lack of sleep
and substance use.”
In addition, a 2011 study from e-textbook provider CourseSmart
found that four in 10 college students said they couldn’t go 10 minutes without
checking their mobile device. Ninety-eight percent of the students surveyed
owned a digital device, with 85% claiming the device saved time while studying.
The Miriam Hospital report also found that listening to
music and reading the newspaper were the two media-related activities linked to
higher grade-point averages.
