The intensive and premature use of smartphones among young children does not promote learning; instead, it diminishes the academic achievements of a substantial portion of the student population. Now, research from Milan-Bicocca and SUPSI, based on INVALSI data, substantiates this, moving beyond mere correlations.
The study, titled "Earlier Smartphone Acquisition Negatively Impacts Language Proficiency, but Only for Heavy Media Users. Results from a Longitudinal Quasi-Experimental Study," conducted by Tiziano Gerosa, a researcher at the University of Professional Studies of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), and Marco Gui, Director of the Digital Wellbeing Center at the University of Milano-Bicocca (Department of Sociology and Social Research), tested the main theoretical hypotheses regarding the role of smartphones in the learning process, both those positing benefits and those anticipating negative effects.
The research encompassed an age range of 10-14 years, comparing those who acquired the device before the age of 12 – at 10 and 11 years old, during the transition from primary to lower secondary school – and those who received it in later years, specifically at 13 and 14 years old. The total sample consisted of 1,672 italiam students from lower secondary schools, with administrative information collected over time by the National Institute for the Evaluation of the Education System (INVALSI).
The results do not indicate any benefits at the end of the lower secondary school for those who obtained smartphones early, even for the most academically motivated students. However, participants who had intensive media usage habits before owning a smartphone (more than two hours per day of TV and video games) experienced a significant negative impact on their Italian language learning. At the time of data collection, students with intensive screen use – and therefore subject to the potential negative effects of smartphones – comprised 23.5 percent of the Italian student population.
"This result confirms a hypothesis emerging in international literature," says Marco Gui, "that independent use of 'mobile media' during childhood can be particularly harmful to those with pre-existing vulnerabilities, in this case a reduced ability to limit screen time linked to family context or specific psychological characteristics."
There has long been a significant debate about the impact of digital media use on the development of minors. The literature has already identified a negative relationship between early and excessive smartphone use and academic results, but often, there have been complaints about the absence of more robust scientific evidence beyond mere correlations.
"This study is one of the first to delve into the impact of smartphones on learning levels using more sophisticated methodologies," says Tiziano Gerosa. "It is, in fact, a quasi-experimental study that utilizes longitudinal INVALSI data on children and pre-adolescents transitioning from primary to lower secondary school. This methodology allows us to approach, albeit with certain assumptions, a causal interpretation of the results."
Further research on this topic is ongoing at the Milan-Bicocca Digital Wellbeing Center. In particular, the EYES UP project, funded by the Cariplo Foundation, will analyze the impact of a range of early online devices and experiences on learning levels throughout students' academic careers, from primary to upper secondary school.