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Italy Study Links Early Social Media Use to Lower Academic Scores
A longitudinal study of 5,227 students in northern Italy found that opening a personal social‑media account at ages 11‑12 is associated with lower performance in standardized Italian language and mathematics tests. The performance gap corresponds to roughly six months of schooling, and early users are also more likely to repeat a grade. No significant difference was observed in English test scores.
The research, led by Marco Gui of the University of Milano‑Bicocca, controlled for parental education and family socioeconomic background. Results were published in the journal *Nature Human Behaviour*.
Entities
Alexander Zeh · Austria · ChatGPT · France · French government · Instagram · Ipsos · Italy · Marco Gui · Nature Human Behaviour · Students · TikTok
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 22 SOURCES] Opening a personal social‑media account at ages 11‑12 is associated with lower maths and Italian test scores equivalent to six months of schooling. gizmodo.com · www.theguardian.com · www.upday.com · www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · www.muensterlandzeitung.de · +17 more
- [● 26 SOURCES] The study surveyed more than 5,000 Italian schoolchildren. gizmodo.com · www.theguardian.com · www.upday.com · www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · www.muensterlandzeitung.de · +21 more
- [● 26 SOURCES] The research was published in Nature Human Behaviour. www.theguardian.com · www.upday.com · gizmodo.com · www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · www.muensterlandzeitung.de · +21 more
- [● 3 SOURCES] France, the United Kingdom and Australia are moving to ban or restrict social‑media access for minors under 15‑16 years old. gizmodo.com · www.upday.com · www.theguardian.com
- [● 26 SOURCES] Students who opened social‑media accounts early have a higher probability of repeating a grade. gizmodo.com · www.theguardian.com · www.upday.com · www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · www.muensterlandzeitung.de · +21 more
- [● 26 SOURCES] Early social‑media use does not significantly affect English test scores. www.theguardian.com · www.upday.com · gizmodo.com · www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · www.muensterlandzeitung.de · +21 more
- [● 20 SOURCES] The performance gap for early social‑media adopters persists through age 15‑16. gizmodo.com · www.theguardian.com · www.upday.com · www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · www.diariodemallorca.es · +15 more
- [● 22 SOURCES] Researchers are affiliated with the University of Milano‑Bicocca in Milan. gizmodo.com · www.theguardian.com · www.upday.com · www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · www.muensterlandzeitung.de · +17 more
- [● 26 SOURCES] The study accounted for parental education level and socioeconomic background. gizmodo.com · www.theguardian.com · www.upday.com · www.allgaeuer-zeitung.de · www.muensterlandzeitung.de · +21 more
- [● 12 SOURCES] Early social‑media account creation at ages 11‑12 is associated with lower Italian language test scores. xeu.mx · www.n-tv.de · www.blikk.hu · www.eltern.de · femina.hu · +6 more
- [● 8 SOURCES] The analysis controlled for parental education level and family socioeconomic background. xeu.mx · www.n-tv.de · www.blikk.hu · www.eltern.de · femina.hu · +2 more
- [● 8 SOURCES] The study analyzed data from 5,227 students in northern Italy. xeu.mx · www.n-tv.de · www.blikk.hu · www.eltern.de · femina.hu · +2 more