A new study from the University of California, San Francisco, has found that social media use may negatively affect children’s cognitive abilities, particularly memory and language skills.
Researchers analyzed data from over 6,000 children aged 9 to 11 participating in the long-term Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Children were grouped based on their social media habits—ranging from minimal use to more than three hours daily.
The findings showed that children who spent about an hour a day on social media scored one to two points lower in reading and memory tests than those who did not use it at all. Those spending three hours or more daily scored up to five points lower.
The study concludes that longer exposure to social media may hinder children’s cognitive growth and language development.
