OTS - Early Smartphone Use in Children? Two Studies Highlight Long-Term Consequences (part 1)
2024. January 29. 13:05
Milan, 29 January, 2024 (APA/OTS) - A group of researchers from the
University of Milano-Bicocca and SUPSI, by means of longitudinal
data provided by INVALSI (Italian Institute for the Evaluation of
the Education System), has confirmed that early smartphone usage
before the age of 12 does not bring benefits. Instead, it is
associated with lower digital skills, higher problematic smartphone
use and can, in fact, diminish the academic performance of students.
The intensive and premature use of smartphones among children
and pre-adolescents shows negative relationships with learning,
digital skills, problematic smartphone use and active use of social
media. In particular, it diminishes the academic achievements of a
substantial portion of the student population. Two studies from
Milano-Bicocca and SUPSI substantiates these findings using INVALSI
data, also moving beyond mere correlations.
The first study, titled "The Age of the Smartphone: An Analysis
of Social Predictors of Children's Age of Access and Potential
Consequences Over Time"
(https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0044118X231223218) and
published in "Youth&Society", investigates the associations between
the age of access to the device and selected life outcomes in a
representative sample of 3,247 Italian students in grade 10. While
showing that females and students from less-educated families are
more likely to receive smartphones earlier, the study finds that
early smartphone access is negatively associated with adolescents'
well-functioning at the age of 16 (even controlling for a number of
socio-economic variables). Deferring access also reduces the gender
gap in language proficiency, digital skills and life satisfaction.
The study was conducted by Tiziano Gerosa, a researcher at the
University of Professional Studies of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI),
Marco Gui, Director of the Digital Transformation and Wellbeing Lab
at the University of Milano-Bicocca (Department of Sociology and
Social Research) and Lucilla Losi, postdoc and research assistant
at the Department of Business Development and Technology, Aarhus
University.
The second study, titled "Earlier Smartphone Acquisition
Negatively Impacts Language Proficiency, but Only for Heavy Media
Users. Results from a Longitudinal Quasi-Experimental Study" -
authored by Tiziano Gerosa and Marco Gui - tested the main
theoretical hypotheses regarding the role of smartphones in the
learning process (both those positing benefits and those
anticipating negative effects) using longitudinal data.
"This study is one of the first to delve into the impact of
early smartphone use on learning levels using a more sophisticated
counterfactual design and nationwide standardized tests," says
Tiziano Gerosa. "It is, in fact, a quasi-experimental study that
uses longitudinal INVALSI data on children and pre-adolescents
transitioning from primary to lower secondary school. This
methodology allows us to approach, albeit with certain assumptions,
a causal interpretation of the results."
The research encompassed an age range of 10-14 years, comparing
those who acquired the device at 10 and 11 years old, during the
transition from primary to lower secondary school, to those who
received it in later years, specifically at 12, 13 and 14 years
old. The total sample consisted of 1,672 italian students from
lower secondary schools, with administrative information collected
over time by the National Institute for the Evaluation of the
Education System (INVALSI).
The results do not indicate any benefits at the end of the
lower secondary school for those who obtained smartphones early,
even for the most academically motivated students. However,
participants who built intensive media usage habits before owning a
smartphone (more than two hours per day of TV and video games)
experienced a significant negative impact on their Italian language
learning. At the time of data collection, students with intensive
screen use - and therefore subject to the potential negative effect
of smartphones - comprised 23.5 percent of the Italian student
population.
"These results not only confirm the existence of negative
relationships between early smartphone use and life outcomes in the
long-run - says Marco Gui - but also show that behind such
correlations lies a direct negative impact, which becomes visible
for those with a reduced ability to limit screen time due to family
context or specific psychological characteristics."
There has long been a significant debate about the impact of
digital media use on the development of minors. The literature has
already identified a negative relationship between early and
excessive smartphone use and academic results, but often, there
have been complaints about the absence of more robust scientific
evidence beyond mere correlations. (continues)