Children who create profiles on social networks at "11–12" years old show significantly poorer academic results four years later – this is the main conclusion of a study by researchers from the University of Milano-Bicocca, published on Monday in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.
As part of the long-term study, scientists monitored over "5 000" Italian students. It was found that those who registered for social networks in the sixth grade – at "11–12" years old – received lower grades on standardized math and Italian language tests in the tenth grade, compared to their peers who joined social platforms later. The difference in performance is equivalent to approximately six months of schooling.
The researchers selected students who had shown equally good results in the fifth grade and did not have social media profiles at that time. Among students who registered on the platforms in the seventh grade, a drop in performance was also observed – "less pronounced, but still significant," while for those who waited until the eighth grade, the effect was negligible. The likelihood of repeating a grade turned out to be higher for students who created profiles in the sixth or seventh grade.
Remarkably, the negative consequences intensified over time. Students who joined social networks in the sixth grade increasingly lagged behind their peers in math by the eighth grade, and by the tenth grade, the gap had increased further, even though practically all students were already using social networks by that time.
One unexpected result is that the decline in grades for Italian and math did not affect performance in English. Researchers suggest that since a significant portion of internet content is in English, social networks likely provided informal language practice for students studying it as a foreign language.
The study results appear at a time when governments around the world are tightening restrictions on the use of social networks by children. Last December, Australia introduced a social media ban for users under "16" years of age, although its enforcement has proven difficult – according to a compliance report, by April more than half of children between "12" and "15" years old still had active profiles. France became the first EU member state to ban social networks for persons under "15" years old, and Great Britain introduced similar restrictions for minors under "16" years old.
In the US, Meta is the subject of lawsuits from several states seeking "1.4 trillion dollars" in damages, as the plaintiffs claim that platforms like Instagram and Facebook were intentionally designed to induce addiction in underage users.
The authors of the study called for a careful interpretation of the results, noting that it is still unclear what exactly leads to the drop in academic performance – harmful content or simply the time spent on the platforms. "Given the sensitivity of the topic and the intense, polarized debate that has erupted in recent years, these results should be interpreted with maximum caution and responsibility," the researchers wrote.