Research shows that children who spend more time watching short video apps like TikTok have poorer academic performance
Short video sharing platforms such as TikTok are very popular around the world, but many parents are concerned that the use of these apps will lead to a decline in their children's academic performance. A Chinese research team investigated the relationship between the use of short video sharing platforms and academic performance and found that the longer children spend on short video sharing platforms, the lower their academic performance.
The relationship between short video usage and academic achievement among elementary school students: The mediating effect of attention and the moderating effect of parental short video usage | PLOS ONE
New TikTok research: Short video use linked to lower academic performance in children
https://www.psypost.org/new-tiktok-research-short-video-use-linked-to-lower-academic-performance-in-children/
Chinese parents are keen to provide their children with an education, but short video-sharing platforms such as Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, and Kuaishou are popular among children, sparking debate over the impact these platforms have on children's academic performance.
To investigate the relationship between the use of short video-sharing platforms and academic performance, a research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted a study on 1,052 elementary school students attending elementary schools in urban and suburban areas of Shenzhen .
The study involved elementary school students completing a survey about their usage habits on short video sharing platforms, as well as asking parents questions about their own media use and their children's screen time. The study also measured the students' attention with tests designed to measure attention span, stability, allocation and shifting abilities, and assessed academic performance through official exam scores in core subjects.
Analysis of the collected data showed that there was a significant negative correlation between the amount of time elementary school students spent using short video sharing platforms and their academic performance. In other words, the longer a child spent using short video sharing platforms, the worse their academic performance.
There was also a negative correlation between the use of short video sharing platforms and attention, with elementary school students who watched a lot of short videos having difficulty staying focused on their schoolwork. In addition, it has been reported that poor attention is correlated with lower academic performance, suggesting that attention is a potential pathway linking the use of short video sharing platforms and academic performance.
In addition, the longer a parent's time using short video sharing platforms, the stronger the negative correlation between their child's screen time and attention. This association can be explained by children imitating their parents' habits and attitudes. It has also been pointed out that parents' long screen time can reduce parent-child interaction, which can affect children's concentration and learning.
On the other hand, parents' low usage of short video sharing platforms mitigated the negative effects of screen time on children's attention. These findings suggest that the home environment may potentially influence children's media habits and cognitive function.
Future studies may employ longitudinal studies or incorporate objective behavioral measures such as eye tracking to more precisely assess the association between attention and media use, and may also generalize findings to more culturally and geographically diverse participants.
'This study provides practical guidance for schools and families and lays the foundation for future research,' the research team said. 'These findings pave the way for exploring innovative approaches that integrate home education with media literacy and facilitate the translation of research results into practical methodologies for education.'
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