College Freshmen’s Grades Hurt Most by Time on Facebook
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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images(AMES, Iowa) — One thing that new college students might hear from their parents as they head off to school is to focus on their grades and not to spend so much time on Facebook.
Well, it’s wishful thinking on the part of mom and dad but does time spent on Facebook really hurt a college freshman’s GPA? The answer is complicated, according to Iowa State University researcher Reynol Junco.
He says that compared to the other levels of college, freshman are hurt most by their time on Facebook when it comes to GPA as time spent on the social networking site often occurred while they’re doing schoolwork.
However, Junco says their grades are hurt, not so much by going on Facebook, but due to adjustment problems that come from being away from home for the first time and not having someone telling them frequently what to do.
Meanwhile, as students continue on their way up through college, Facebook’s effect on grades wanes. By the time they become seniors, there was no noticeable relationship between Facebook and GPA.
In fact, Junco goes as far to say that being online with friends seemed to have a positive impact on GPA.
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