Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
PLoS One. 2020 Sep 2;15(9):e0237908. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237908. eCollection 2020.
The effects of electronic media use on health has received much attention but less is known about links with academic performance. This study prospectively examines the effect of media use on academic performance in late childhood.
1239 8- to 9-year-olds and their parents were recruited to take part in a prospective, longitudinal study. Academic performance was measured on a national achievement test at baseline and 10-11 years of age. Parents reported on their child's duration of electronic media use.
After control for baseline reading, watching more than two hours of television per day at 8-9 years of age predicted a 12-point lower performance in reading at 10-11 years, equivalent to the loss of a third of a year in learning. Using a computer for more than one hour a day predicted a similar 12-point lower numeracy performance. Regarding cross-sectional associations (presumed to capture short-term effects) of media use on numeracy, after controlling for prior media exposure, watching more than two hours of television per day at 10-11 years was concurrently associated with a 12-point lower numeracy score and using a computer for more than one hour per day with a 13-point lower numeracy performance. There was little evidence for concurrent effects on reading. There was no evidence of short- or long-term associations between videogame use and academic performance.
Cumulative television use is associated with poor reading and cumulative computer use with poorer numeracy. Beyond any links between heavy media use and health risks such as obesity, physical activity and mental health, these findings raise a possibility of additional risks of both television and computer use for learning in mid-childhood. These findings carry implications for parents, teachers and clinicians to consider the type and timing of media exposure in developing media plans for children.
电子媒体使用对健康的影响受到了广泛关注，但人们对其与学业成绩之间的联系知之甚少。本研究前瞻性地考察了媒体使用对儿童晚期学业成绩的影响。
1239 名 8-9 岁儿童及其家长参与了一项前瞻性纵向研究。在基线和 10-11 岁时，通过全国性成就测试来衡量学业成绩。家长报告了孩子每天电子媒体使用的时间。
在控制了基线阅读能力后，8-9 岁时每天观看超过两小时的电视会导致 10-11 岁时阅读成绩下降 12 分，相当于损失了三分之一的学习时间。每天使用计算机超过一小时会导致类似的 12 分的数学成绩下降。关于媒体使用对数学的横断面关联（假定反映短期影响），在控制了之前的媒体暴露后，10-11 岁时每天观看超过两小时的电视与 12 分的数学成绩较低相关，每天使用计算机超过一小时与 13 分的数学成绩较低相关。几乎没有证据表明阅读成绩存在短期影响。电子游戏使用与学业成绩之间没有短期或长期关联。
累积看电视时间与阅读成绩差有关，累积使用电脑时间与数学成绩差有关。除了重度媒体使用与肥胖、体育活动和心理健康等健康风险之间的任何联系之外，这些发现还提出了一种可能性，即电视和计算机使用在儿童中期对学习可能存在额外风险。这些发现对家长、教师和临床医生具有启示意义，他们应考虑为孩子制定媒体计划时媒体接触的类型和时间。
