Friday 17/October/2025 – 04:30 AM
revealed study New findings from the University of California, San Francisco revealed disturbing results regarding the impact of social media on children’s mental abilities, stressing that excessive use of these applications is not only limited to wasting time, but also weakens memory and affects reading and vocabulary skills.
Social media weakens children’s memory and affects their vocabulary
The study, the results of which were published as part of a long-term research project on brain development in adolescents ABCD, showed that children who spend more than three hours a day on social media applications score lower in memory and language tests by up to five points compared to those who do not use these platforms at all.
The researchers analyzed data from more than 6,000 children between the ages of 9 and 11, and found that heavy use of these applications at an early age leaves a long-term negative impact on academic performance.
While some children had limited use of apps, others reached more than three hours a day by the age of thirteen, which was directly reflected in their mental abilities.
Dr. Sanjeev Kothari, director of the Department of Pediatric Neurology at Cohen Medical Center, said in statements to the New York Post: Social media puts more stress on the brain because it requires direct interaction and constant follow-up, which reduces children’s ability to focus and remember while studying.
The researchers pointed out that children often use phones during lessons or stay up late browsing platforms, which leads to lack of sleep and distraction, which are two main factors in declining academic achievement.
The report confirmed that the negative effects are specifically linked to social media, and not to watching television or games, as children interact with the content actively and continuously, which exhausts their cognitive abilities.
