Between Reels on Instagram, TikTok videos and Snapchat formats, short content on social media is a favourite among young users. But it’s a trend that seems to be associated with a deterioration of scholastic achievement: according to a study from China, the more this type of video is consumed by a student, the less likely they are to succeed at school.
Research coming out of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, published in PLOS One, highlights the impact – once again negative – on the academic results of young students.
By analysing the habits of 1,052 primary school pupils in Shenzhen, China, the researchers established a link between significant lack of attention and massive consumption of short videos.
“Short videos are often designed with highly appealing visuals and fast-paced, engaging content, which may lead to addiction among young users. This can result in prolonged engagement, potentially diverting students’ time and energy from studying,” the study states.
It’s a problem that affects young students the most in China: “The proportion of minors using apps like Kwai and TikTok is as high as 65.3%, making short videos an essential platform for their online life,” the research goes on. “Statistics show that the usage of such apps among elementary school students has reached 66%, even higher than that of high school students (62.7%).”
The findings are unequivocal: the consumption of short videos is linked to a decrease in students’ attention and, consequently, their ability to concentrate in class and pass their exams. The study highlights the “potential threat to student’s cognitive abilities” and the “long-term impact of digital media on children’s cognitive development”.
That said, it’s not just children’s habits that factor into this situation: parental moderation and showing by example appear to be an important variable.
“Parental short-video usage demonstrates a modelling effect on children, making them perceive such usage as acceptable behaviour without generating negative attitudes or consciously exercising self-control,” the researchers explain.
In other words, if a parent watches short videos often, the child will have no qualms about consuming more of them, and will have less self-control in this regard. Parents, therefore, have an essential role to play in their offspring’s wellbeing and academic performance.
“Digital-media management within the family environment should be crucial in shaping children’s attention and academic performance. Parents should be aware of the impact of their media-usage behaviour on their children and strive to establish positive patterns of short video usage,” the study concludes.
To help them in this task, the researchers suggest avenues such as respecting a time limit for this activity. “Parents and children could agree to limit the time spent using short videos and adhere to it collectively, encouraging more outdoor activities and face-to-face communication.”