Texting, social networking and other media use linked to poor academic performance

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-04/l-tsn041113.php

Public release date: 11-Apr-2013
Contact: Jessica Collins Grimes

Miriam Hospital researchers say college women spend a significant amount of time using media during their freshmen year, which can lead to lower GPAs

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The widespread use of media among college students – from texting to chatting on cell phones to posting status updates on Facebook – may be taking an academic toll, say researchers with The Miriam Hospital's Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine.

According to a new study, freshmen women spend nearly half their day – 12 hours – engaged in some form of media use, particularly texting, music, the Internet and social networking. Researchers found media use, in general, was associated with lower grade point averages (GPAs) and other negative academic outcomes. However, there were two exceptions: newspaper reading and listening to music were actually linked to a positive academic performance.

The findings, reported online by the journal Emerging Adulthood, offer some new insight into media use in early adulthood, a time when many young people are living independently for the first time and have significant freedom from parental monitoring.

-----