Study: Pre-teen social media use linked to lower scores on reading, memory tests

Preteens using increasing amounts of social media perform poorer in reading, vocabulary and memory tests in early adolescence compared with those who use no or little social media, a new study found (Source: “Kids who use social media score lower on reading and memory tests, a study shows,” NPR, Oct. 13).
 
According to a new study published in JAMA, 13 year olds who used a high amount of social media performed up to 4 to 5 points lower on the tests than the non-social media users. And those who were relatively low social media users, using about one hour a day by age 13, performed on average 1 to 2 points lower on the reading and memory tasks compared to the non-social media users.
 
While a difference of a few points in test scores may seem insignificant, "it's important to understand that kids are a moving target," explains psychologist Mitch Prinstein at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who wasn't involved in the new research. “Even a slight change in what they look like after a short period of time means that they're kind of now pointed on a trajectory that is different from others. That means that two, three, five years from now, we might be talking about some very significant gaps between kids who might have been heavy users or not as heavy users."
 
The study "gives us good-enough evidence that we really need to create some policies that are really specific around creating age limits, for example, on social media apps," says psychologist Sheri Madigan at the University of Calgary, who wrote an accompanying editorial for the study.
 
Denmark announced last week that it plans to enforce a social media ban for users under age 15, she notes. Australia is requiring social media companies to "take reasonable steps to prevent Australians under the age of 16 from creating or keeping an account," starting December 2025.