Family Life

04.15.09 | FL News Team

College students may want to keep their use of Facebook in check. A study at Ohio State University finds students who spend time on the social networking website have lower GPAs than those who are not signed up for it. A researcher says there is a "disconnect between students' claim that Facebook doesn't impact their studies" and the data showing they had lower grades and spent less time hitting the books.

Facebook users in the study generally had between 3.0 and 3.5 GPAs. Non-users in the group registered between 3.5 and 4.0 GPAs. Facebook users also said they averaged one to five hours per week studying while non-users said they racked up eleven to 15 hours of study time.

The study authors stress that use of Facebook does not necessarily mean it will lead to lower grades. They indicate personality traits may also be a factor. Other findings in the study revealed science, technology, engineering, math and business majors were more likely to use Facebook than humanities and social sciences majors. Those who signed on to the website were also more likely to be younger and full-time students.