Nature Human Behaviour · 3 August 2026 · From issue 18
Joining social media before grade 9 lowered later test scores in Italian, English and math.
Marco Gui, Chiara Respi et al., Longitudinal effect of early social media use on standardized learning outcomes during school career, Nature Human Behaviour.
Kids who joined social media in grades 6 to 8 later scored lower on standard tests. Kids who waited until grade 9 or later scored better. The study followed 5,227 students in northern Italy, checking scores in Italian, English and math over time. Heavy smartphone use at key times of day seems to explain much of this gap.
The number of students in northern Italy whose social media timing and test scores were compared.
One region in Italy, observational data, not a controlled trial.
Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 17 August 2026. Retraction record: none. DOI resolves at doi.org. Metadata record found (Nature Human Behaviour). Read the source
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