Even the smartest college students suffer academically when they use the Internet in class for non-academic purposes, researchers have warned.
They say that the huge number of students who take phones, tablets and laptops to lecture could be seeing their grades slip.
The researchers say students would perform better without their gadgets – but admit a ban would be impractical.
The Michigan State University study found that students of all abilities were hit.
‘Students of all intellectual abilities should be responsible for not letting themselves be distracted by use of the Internet,’ said Susan Ravizza, who led the study.
Ravizza and colleagues studied non-academic Internet use in an introductory psychology class at MSU with 500 students.
The team found all students, regardless of intellectual ability, had lower exam scores the more they used the Internet for non-academic purposes such as reading the news, sending emails and posting Facebook updates.
Previous research has claimed smarter people are better at multitasking and filtering out distractions.
The researchers warn that might be because Internet use is a different type of multitasking, in that it can be so engaging.
The study also showed students discounted the effects of Internet use on academic performance, reinforcing past findings that students have poor awareness of how their smartphones and laptops affect learning.
Ravizza said it would be nearly impossible to attempt to ban smartphones or other electronic devices from lecture halls.
‘What would you do, have hundreds of people put their cell phones in a pile and pick them up after class?’
Such a ban might also be a safety issue, since cell phones have become a primary source of receiving emergency messages.
