The consequences of media multitasking for youth: A review

Abstract

a b s t r a c tThe increasing prevalence of media multitasking among youth has raised concerns regarding its negative effects on youths' functioning. Although the number of empirical studies on the consequences of media multitasking for youth has grown rapidly, there has been no attempt to integrate theory with the results of these studies. This review integrates available findings on the relationship between media multitasking and three domains of youths' functioning: cognitive control, academic performance, and socioemotional functioning. Three databases (PsycINFO, ERIC, and CMMC) were searched to identify relevant studies, resulting in 8448 citations. Fifty-six studies met the inclusion criteria: nine studies on cognitive control, 43 on academic performance, and four on socioemotional functioning. Overall, the findings indicate a small to moderate negative relationship between media multitasking and the three domains of youths' functioning. However, evidence regarding the causal direction of this relationship is lacking. Based on the included studies, we identify several research gaps and present five main directions for future research: examining causality, establishing more targeted theories, improving media multitasking measurements, focusing on individual and contextual differences, and including representative samples.

“Facebocrastination”? Predictors of using Facebook for procrastination and its effects on students’ well-being

“…Initial evidence from cross-sectional and experience sampling research has also linked Facebook use to impaired overall well-being among students (Kross et al, 2013;Satici & Uysal, 2015). Experimental research by Sagioglou and Greitemeyer (2014) further indicates that Facebook use impairs affective well-being (e.g., current mood) because it is perceived as "less meaningful, less useful, and more of a waste of time" than other (online) activities (p. 361).…”

Smartphones, social media use and youth mental health

“…26 Two systematic reviews have shown that media multitasking is associated with negative effects on cognitive control, academic performance and socioemotional functioning in youth. 27,28 Most existing studies, however, are cross-sectional, and measures are heterogenous across studies with limited attempts to consider individual and contextual differences, making it impossible to establish causality. Youth with lower impulse control may be more susceptible to deleterious effects of media multi tasking.…”

Dealing with media distractions: an observational study of computer-based multitasking among children and adults in the Netherlands

“…A large body of research has shown that interruptions during work-or school-related activities lead to lower task performance, higher perceived stress, and mental fatigue (Eyrolle & Cellier, 2000;Jett & George, 2003). In the school context, studies have shown that engaging in media while doing homework or being in class is related to diminished processing of study content and decreased learning (for a review, see Van der Schuur et al, 2015). For example, Armstrong and Greenberg (1990) have shown that background television led to impaired reading comprehension, spatial problem solving, and cognitive flexibility.…”

“…needed for finishing a task (Bowman, Levine, Waite, & Gendron, 2010;Eyrolle & Cellier, 2000), and lower academic performance (for reviews, see Carrier, Rosen, Cheever, & Lim, 2015;Jeong & Hwang, 2016;Van der Schuur, Baumgartner, Sumter, & Valkenburg, 2015).…”