Is Facebook Bad for Your GPA?

A recent study at Ohio State University suggests that Facebook may be negatively impacting grade point averages for both undergraduate and graduate students. Despite assertions from the students that use of Facebook wasn't interfering with school work, Facebook users were averaging a half a point lower on their grades.The students also self-reported significantly less studying time than their non-Facebook-using peers.

The study consisted of a relatively small sampling (219 students) and researchers admit that students may be less to study with or without Facebook. They saw a positive correlation between extracurricular activities, while students who spent a lot of time working were less likely to be Facebook users.

I found that study to be interesting, but am skeptical about the results since they didn't take into account other commonalities among students. Math, science and engineering students were found to be heavier Facebook users than humanities students. The extracurricular link could also be significant. Considering that the students with lower GPAs claimed that they only spent one to five hours a week studying, while other students claimed 11 to 15 hours, a half point difference in GPA seems slight.

I hope they look further into this by expanding the research pool and taking into account other factors that may impact their GPA.

Read More

• Read the Ohio State Facebook Study Results
• Study Overview from Ohio State