Kids who 'Facebook' Get Lower Grades, says Study

We’re all familiar with the idea that with any activity, moderation is key. Now, more than ever, online presence via social media sites, in particular, is drawing extra attention for their detrimental effects on certain behaviors of individuals.

Children are especially vulnerable to these effects. According to a recent study by the California State University presented during the 119th annual convention of the American Psychological Association, kids who spend a lot of time on Facebook are more likely to have low grades.

The study also points out other observations such as behavioral problems, including teens having “narcissistic tendencies” from being logged on to multiple social media sites. Other effects include manic and aggressive tendencies, as mentioned by Larry Rosen, professor of psychology at California State University. Children below 13 years old were also found to be more likely to have bouts of anxiety, be depressed, have problems sleeping and have tummy aches as well.

The researchers discovered that when the students were allowed to study for 15 minutes using a computer, they had the tendency to be off-task every three minutes. Said Rosen, “"What we found was mind-boggling ... About every three minutes (during the fifteen-minute period), they are off-task. You'd think that under these constraints - that someone is observing you - that they would be more on task."

As the minutes passed, the researchers were even more surprised to find that at the eight to ten minute mark, the students would open more new tabs, and those who tried to multitask essentially performed worse academically. “The more media they consumed per day, the worse students they were. If they checked Facebook just once during 15 minutes, they were worse students (performed poorly)," says Rosen.

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Not to disregard the positive effects that social media sites bring, Facebook and similar sites have actually also helped kids form their identities and develop their socialization skills. In the form of comments, kids were actually able to show empathy to friends. “We are finding that kids who are able to express more virtual empathy are able to express more real-world empathy,” says Rosen. “They feel more supported socially by online and offline networks.”

Now, with awareness on the issue, some educators have taken steps to deal with it. Some schools have issued “tech breaks”, wherein teachers give students 15 minutes to put away their phones, followed by a 1-minute break to let them go online, use apps or check Facebook.

“One minute turns out to be a pretty darn long time,” says Rosen. “We now know neurologically that if we don't have a tech break, kids are already starting to think about anything other than what the teacher is talking about. If they know they get a tech break, they're able to stop those thoughts. It works amazingly.”

With a greater amount of distractions for kids brought about by technology, the task falls on parents and educators to help teach students to balance their time and concentration between the demands of school and being online for personal reasons.

What’s your personal parenting trick to moderate your child’s Facebook use? We’d love to know. Share it with us by leaving a comment below.


Sources:
•    August 11, 2011. “Kids who use excess Facebook get low marks in school” en.news.maktoob.com
•    August 9, 2011. Margaret Hartmann. “Kids’ Facebook Use Linked to Lower Grades, Psychological Disorders” jezebel.com
•    August 8, 2011. Bonnie Rochman. “Kids Who Use Facebook Do Worse in School” healthland.time.com


Photo by jencu via flickr creative commons