Excess tech use may lower educational performance

A new study from the Center for Gambling Studies at Rutgers University-New Brunswick suggests that excessive technology use for entertainment may have a longer-term adverse effect on the educational development of children.

The paper, titled 'The relationship of interactive technology use for entertainment and school performance and engagement: Evidence from a longitudinal study in a nationally representative sample of middle school students in China', examined the relationship of entertainment-related interactive (internet and video games) technology use and school engagement performance.

Data collected showed that nearly 40% of children used interactive technology for entertainment/non-schoolwork-related activities on schooldays, with that number increasing to 62% on weekends.

The study, published in the upcoming September 2021 issue of journal Computers in Human Behaviour, found that excessive use for non-school purposes (ie, more than one hour on a school day and four hours daily on weekends) was adversely associated with all outcomes one year later including lower test scores on Chinese, Math and English. It was also associated with lower cognitive competencies, lower educational aspirations, higher likelihood of truancy, a lack of concentration and boredom at school.

The researchers suggest that placing time limits on interactive technology use and helping children develop self-regulation skills to reduce a reliance on tech is advisable.

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