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Younger children who use social media get worse grades, study finds

EuroNews · 🇫🇷 public France · · 589 words · By Alice Carnevali
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What to know about Younger children who use social media get worse grades, study finds

Being on social media from an early age is linked to weaker performances in Italian and maths, yet the same cannot be said for English, the study finds.

Claims checked 11
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Being on social media from an early age is linked to weaker performances in Italian and maths, yet the same cannot be said for English, the study finds.

Why it matters

Children who start using social media at a young age appear to struggle more at school than those who open social media accounts only once they are older, a new study has found.

Common ground

The study was published in Nature Human Behaviour and analysed more than 5,000 pupils from northern Italy aged 7 to 16.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/next/2026/08/06/younger-children-who-use-social-media-h…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 11 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 2
verified Verified 2
help Insufficient Evidence 1
schedule Pending 1
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Claim 1: “The paper was built on a combination of data from a questionnaire on digital media habits with longitudinal standardised exam scores collected in grades 2, 5, 8 and 10 in Italian, mathematics and English.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the existence of the study and the journal are verified, the specific details regarding the combination of questionnaires and longitudinal scores in grades 2, 5, 8, and 10 are not explicitly detailed in the provided evidence snippets, though they align with the general study description.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — "Human Behaviour" is a song by Icelandic recording artist Björk, released on 7 June 1993 by One Little Indian as the lead single from her debut studio album, Debut (1993). Produced by Björk's longtime…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Behaviour
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Human nature comprises the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting—that humans are said to have naturally. The term is often used to denote the ess…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_nature
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nature Human Behaviour is a monthly multidisciplinary online-only peer-reviewed scientific journal covering all aspects of human behaviour. It was established in January 2017 and is published by Natur…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_Human_Behaviour
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 2: “And when tested in grade 10 (ages 15-16), the impact not only persisted but widened, particularly in mathematics and for those exposed to social media before 13.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm the negative impact persisted and widened through ages 15 and 16 (grade 10), particularly for those who joined by age 12.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of 50 states and a federal district (Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States). The U.S. also possesses five major territor…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_and_territories…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is the definite article in English. The, or THE, may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_(disambiguation)
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 3: “Earlier this summer, French lawmakers approved a bill prohibiting social media access to children under 15, and similar measures are being discussed in Spain and in the UK.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided web search results for this claim only contain general Wikipedia entries about the French language and the country of France; they do not mention a bill prohibiting social media access for children under 15.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — 1.1Vulgar Latin in Gaul. 1.2Old French. 1.3Middle French. 1.4Modern French. 1.5French in the 21st century. 1.6Future. 1.6.1Recent growth. 1.6.2Factors in growth.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language
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web search NEUTRAL — France retains its centuries-long status as a global centre of art, science, cuisine and philosophy. It hosts the fourth-largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with 54 in total, and is the wor…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 8, 2022 · French for beginners guide with native audio lessons. Master pronunciation, verbs, and vocabulary with Teacher David Issokson and Marie Assel Cambier.
https://www.frenchlearner.com/learning-french/french-for-beg…
verified
Claim 4: “In July, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, presented an expert report on this topic and said the evidence increasingly supported introducing a minimum age for accessing these platforms.”
VERIFIED
Web search results explicitly confirm that in July, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen presented an expert report stating evidence supported introducing a minimum age for accessing these platforms.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In July, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, presented an expert report on this topic and said the evidence increasingly supported introducing a minimum age for accessing these platfor…
https://dailyguardian.eu/younger-children-who-use-social-med…
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web search NEUTRAL — The European Commission President said there was a lot of activity by senior EU figures on Israel-Gaza, but no consensus on how to proceed.
https://www.clarelive.ie/national/ursula-von-der-leyen-no-on…
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web search NEUTRAL — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaking during a press conference in the Main Quadrangle at University College Cork (Liam McBurney/PA).It is more a question of when “social media h…
https://www.chardandilminsternews.co.uk/news/national/262522…
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Claim 5: “In June, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said her government will not push for a social media ban as the measure can easily be circumvented.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute the claim regarding Giorgia Meloni's statement in June.
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Claim 6: “This argument is often put forward by critics of the measure and is backed by some studies conducted in Australia, which show that age verification methods are not effective.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
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Claim 7: “Specifically, when tested in grade 8 (usually the age range from 13 to 14), students who joined social media at 11 or 12 did worse than those who waited longer to get on social media in both Italian and maths.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that children who joined social media at an earlier age (specifically mentioned as 11 or 12) performed worse in Italian and mathematics by the 8th grade.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — There are two grading systems used in Italy: To someone familiar with both the Italian and the U.S. college systems, Italian grades are best translated into American grades (and vice versa) according …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_grading_in_Italy
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of grading systems used by countries of the world, primarily within the fields of secondary education and university education, organized by continent with links to specifics in numerou…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grading_systems_by_country
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sixth grade (also 6th grade or grade 6) is the sixth year of formal or compulsory education. Students in sixth grade are usually 11–12 years old, although in some countries, students are aged 12–13 in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixth_grade
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 8: “The study was published in Nature Human Behaviour and analysed more than 5,000 pupils from northern Italy aged 7 to 16.”
CORROBORATED
Web search results confirm the study was published in Nature Human Behaviour and tracked 5,000 pupils in northern Italy. Wikipedia confirms Nature Human Behaviour is a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In human anatomy, the penis (; pl.: penises or penes; from the Latin pēnis, initially 'tail') is an external sex organ (intromittent organ) through which males ejaculate and urinate. Together with the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_penis
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Human nature comprises the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting—that humans are said to have naturally. The term is often used to denote the ess…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_nature
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Swarm behaviour, or swarming, is a collective behaviour exhibited by entities, particularly animals, of similar size which aggregate together, perhaps milling about the same spot, moving en masse, or …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarm_behaviour
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 9: “The report, however, did not back a blanket ban on social media platforms like the one in Australia, but rather underlined the necessity of a “safe by design” approach, putting part of the responsibility onto digital platforms.”
VERIFIED
Web search results confirm that the report presented by von der Leyen did not back a blanket ban but instead emphasized a 'safe by design' approach.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Ursula von der Leyen is az X-en fejezte ki.
https://x.com/vonderleyen
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web search NEUTRAL — Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen is a German politician and physician who has served as President of the European Commission since 2019. She served in the German federal government between 2005 and 2019, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursula_von_der_Leyen
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web search NEUTRAL — Von der Leyen also addressed social media in more detail in her speech, primarily focusing on children’s unrestricted access. “As a mother of seven and grandmother of four, I feel anxious for parents …
https://www.freedom-research.org/p/von-der-leyens-speech-con…
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Claim 10: “Being on social media from an early age is linked to weaker performances in Italian and maths, yet the same cannot be said for English, the study finds.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web search results (Euronews, a report on TikTok/Instagram impact, and a study on early access) all confirm that early social media use is linked to lower performance in Italian and mathematics, but not in English.
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web search NEUTRAL — The study found that children who joined social media at an earlier age scored lower in tests for Italian and mathematics by the time they reached the 10th grade. There was no significant impact on En…
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/children-who-join-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Across nearly all comparisons, students who opened social media accounts earlier performed worse in subsequent mathematics and Italian language arts tests than otherwise similar students who joined la…
https://www.afterbabel.com/p/does-early-access-to-social-med…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — While the use of social media from an early age appears to be linked to lower performance in Italian and maths, the same cannot be said for English, which Italian students generally learn as their fir…
https://www.euronews.com/next/2026/08/06/younger-children-wh…
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Claim 11: “After Australia became the first country in the world to ban social media for users aged under 16, the discussion reached European countries and the European Union (EU) institutions.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent cross-references from Deutsche Welle confirm that Australia became the first country to introduce social media bans for users under 16.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Taskmaster Australia is an Australian comedy panel game show first broadcast on Network 10 on 2 February 2023. Based on the British show Taskmaster created by comedian Alex Horne, the program revolves…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taskmaster_Australia
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Australians, colloquially known as Aussies, are the citizens, nationals and individuals associated with the country Australia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or ethno-cultural. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australians
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It has a land area of 7,688,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia
+ 2 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.