Social site users do badly in exams.

Yes, parents and teachers worst fear has been confirmed by a new research. Yep, Social Networking sites are damaging student’s academic performance.

The researchers discovered that the majority of the students who use Myspace or Facebook everyday are underachieving by as much as an entire grade! compared with those shun such sites. In order to reach their conclusion researchers discovered how students who spend their time accumulating friends, chatting and “poking” others on the site may devote as little as one hour a week to their academic work. “Our study shows people who spend more time on Facebook spend less time studying” said Aryn Karpinski, a researcher in the education department at Ohio State University. “Every generation has its distractions, but I think FaceBook is a unique phenomenon”, she said.

The researchers questioned 219 US undergraduates and graduates about their daily internet usage,their study practices and specific use of Facebook. They found that 65% of Facebook users accessed their account daily to check if they have received any new messages. They access time varied a few minutes to more than a hour. Thus, spending majority of their time on Facebook and to make things worse always thinking about Facebook. This is the reason they are so distracted from their studies. They are so much distracted from their messages from facebook that they cannot concentrate on their studies.

The Ohio report shows that 68% of students who used Facebook has a “Significantly” lower grade point average than those who did not use the site. “It is the equivalent of the difference between getting an A and a B”, said Karpinski.

It seems Facebook is this generations greatest distraction. But I think it comes only after mobile phones and SMS that students use most of the time. Also its handy and can be carried anywhere thus completely filling a student’s mind. But I guess students these days are managing to control their use of mobile phones. Yet, they are some who cannot.

I guess school’s desperate attempt to block social networking sites and web proxy services that allows a student to bypass the school firewall isn’t working well.