Media Multitasking Leads To Bad English And Math Scores For Teens

Teens today are exposed to and use several media at the same time on a daily basis. However, this media multitasking could actually dampen their test scores, a study has found.

As per Siasat, Amy S. Finn of the University of Toronto said that media multitasking means using different media simultaneously. The example given was using a smartphone while the television is on in the background.

Teens Into Media Multitasking Poorer in Memory, Also Impulsive

There were 73 eight grade students from Boston who took part in the study. They answered a Media Use Questionnaire, wherein there were queries to how many hours they spent using different media such as cellphone, electronic reading material, television, video, video games and phones.

Besides this, the teens also relayed how often they combined the use of different media simultaneously, according to Live Science. The results showed that around 25 percent of the time that they spent using the different media, they were engaged in media multitasking.

In comparison to those who were not media multitasking as much, the teens who spent a greater time media multitasking had a poorer performance on standardized tests of English and Math. In addition to this, the frequent media multitaskers also had poorer results in short-term memory tests. They were also more impulsive compared to their counterparts.

Media Multitasking Hampers Efficiency

Earlier this month, Daily Mail reported on a poll conducted by Common Sense Media on media multitasking. Parents and teens were surveyed and 78 percent of teens reportedly checked their devices at least every hour.

Michael Robb, director of research for Common Sense Media reportedly said that media multitasking "can decrease your ability to get things done well because you have to reorient." Robb added that the result is cognitive fatigue that can cause one's rate of work to be slower.

What do you think about media multitasking? Share your thoughts below.