Massive impact cellphones are having on kids revealed: study
Giving your grade-schooler a cellphone could be hurting their ability to read—even if the device never leaves the house, according to a new study.Researchers found elementary school children who owned their own phones consistently scored worse on reading comprehension tests than classmates without one, with the gap showing up whether the devices were sitting on a desk, stashed in a backpack or left at home.The findings—led by a team of UCLA psychologists and researchers—suggest the problem isn’t children sneaking glances at their screens during class — it’s simply owning a cellphone in the first place.“We found that there’s no age at which you can give a child a phone that’s better or worse for reading comprehension, so it’s just having a phone at all,” lead author and UCLA psychology professor Patricia Greenfield said.“That’s true in third grade, and it’s true in sixth grade.”Researchers set out to determine whether cellphone ownership itself was linked to weaker reading skills among elementary school students, noting there has been surprisingly little research examining the issue despite growing concern over children’s screen use.The team studied a culturally and linguistically diverse group of third- and sixth-grade students attending public schools in Antelope Valley and Coptic Church schools in Los Angeles County.Some children owned phones while others did not, and some brought them to school while others left them at home.
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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Want even more news? Students read short passages before answering questions designed to measure their reading comprehension.
They also completed surveys about cellphone ownership and how they used their devices.The results revealed a clear pattern—children with their own phones consistently scored l...