News: General Press
A British psychologist stated that the use of Twitter and YouTube has a negative impact on children, whereas the contrary happens with Facebook
Source: Telegraph.co.uk / Date: September 9th 2009 / Category: General Press
Summary:
Tracey Alloway, scientific affiliated with the University of Stirling, Scottland, has conducted an investigation on the impact of some online services regarding the ways in which children handle information. According to Alloway, the so-called “working memory” – i. e., the ability to recall and apply information - is the best predictor of academic success, even more than IQ measurements.
After these investigations, la scientist concludes that children using videogames containing analytic and strategic elements, develop good memory. The same positive impact can be observed in games like Sudoku or in Facebook. According to Alloway, the interaction elements and tracking of friends in Facebook have a positive impact in memory and in learning.
In contrast, the benefits of Twitter in terms of memory and learning are nonexistent. Her conclusion is that texts in Twitter are so brief that they don`t stimulate the brain. The same negative impact in working memory can be observed in You Tube users.
"In Twitter the focus is reduced and the user does not use the brain to manage the information that is being received” states Alloway in her report.
Finally, Alloway states that even the use of texts messages, SMS, may reduce intelligence, and a extended exposure to TV may result in ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
The research is based on testing of groups of children ages 11 to 14.