Photo/Illutration Students take the national academic achievement test that covers math and Japanese at an elementary school in Tokyo on April 18. (Pool)

A national academic achievement test and a simultaneously conducted survey revealed students tend to score lower on tests when they spend more time on their phones browsing social media and watching videos.

Screen time has also increased compared to the previous survey conducted during the 2022 Japanese school year.

The results of the test and the survey were released on July 29.

Both were conducted in April, targeting elementary school sixth-graders and third-year students at junior high schools.

When asked how much time they spend on social media and watching videos on smartphones during weekdays, 8.7 percent of the elementary school students said three to four hours a day, down 0.1 point from the last survey.

For the junior high schoolers, 14.2 percent reported the same, up 0.4 point.

Those spending four hours or more stood at 11.8 percent among the elementary schoolers, a 0.9 point increase, and 17.9 percent among the junior high students, up 2.5 points.

Based on this, one in three junior high school students spends more than three hours on their phone a day.

The survey also examined links between SNS usage and average test scores in Japanese and mathematics.

Unfortunately for all students, the more time they spent online, the worse they performed in both subjects.

The largest gap was in the junior high schoolers' math test scores. Kids on their smartphones for four or more hours were graded 18.5 points lower than peers who browsed their phones for less than 30 minutes.

Even in the junior high schoolers' Japanese scores, which had the smallest difference, there was still a 12.3-point gap.

Interestingly, students who didn’t have smartphones scored lower than those using them for less than 30 minutes.

According to the education ministry, the students without smartphones could be from families with lower socioeconomic status in terms of income and level of education, among other factors. This results in a tendency to score lower than students whose families are at an advantage.

STUDY TIME ALSO IMPACTED

Another aspect of the survey was examining the correlation between smartphone use and study time outside of the classroom.

It divided students into two groups: those who use smartphones for less than three hours and those who use them for more.

For each group, the survey compared whether kids studied more than 30 minutes a day or less.

It found that youths less inclined to be on their smartphones spent more time studying, with elementary schoolers placing 13.8 points higher and junior high school students with 14.1 more points.

The results showed that students who spend more time studying tend to score higher on tests, regardless of whether they did so on weekdays or weekends.

However, the rate of students studying for 30 minutes or more a day has declined since the 2021 school year for both elementary and junior high school students.

Does increased SNS usage lead to less study time and lower academic performance?

The education ministry said social media is not the only reason kids are studying less, pointing out that the decrease in hours spent watching TV has likely been offset by an increase in being on social media.

The ministry added, “We would be concerned if academic performance is declining, but we cannot conclude that it is happening,” citing that Japan’s scores of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, remain high.

Even so, a PISA survey still highlights how too much time on social media can negatively affect test results.

The ministry warns against prolonged social media use, citing the latest survey, which also showed spending three or more hours on a smartphone is setting oneself up for lower test scores than students who do not have phones.

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