Did you know?: Multitasking linked to poor academic record

Teens splitting time between phones, video games likely to score lower in school

TORONTO: Parents, please take note! Researchers have found that the more time teenagers spend splitting their attention between various gadgets such as phones, video games or TV, the lower their test scores in math and English tend to be.

More time spent multitasking between different types of media is also associated with greater impulsivity and a poorer working memory in adolescents, said one of the study authors Amy Finn from the University of Toronto.  The term ‘media multitasking’ describes the act of using multiple gadgets simultaneously, such as having the television run in the background while texting on a smartphone, Finn explained. Its influence on cognition, performance at school, and personality was never assessed before.



For the study, researchers observed 73 eighth grade students. Overall, participants reported consuming a great deal of media, and on average watching 12 hours of television per week. They tended to multitask between mediums 25% of the time. The results show how participants’ media consumption patterns outside of school relate to their performance in school tests. The study was published in Springer’s journal Psychonomic Bulletin & Review.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 23^rd, 2016.

Like Life & Style on Facebook, follow @ETLifeandStyle on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.