Recent surveys indicate that teens spend an average of 7 hours and 22 minutes daily in front of electronic screens—this adds up to nearly half of their waking time. Globally, children and teens maintain high screen engagement, with many exceeding 8–9 hours per day . While some of this is educational, a substantial portion is recreational—social media, streaming, or gaming.
Across multiple studies, excessive screen or mobile phone time correlates with poorer academic outcomes. However, correlation doesn’t always mean causation. One meta‑analysis discovered that general screen media use showed no significant association with academic performance, but passive entertainment often did while educational or interactive screen time sometimes improved certain learning outcomes
Smartphone addiction or excessive usage, particularly for social media, often distracts from studying. Students distracted by notifications or apps typically perform worse on tests and assignments
3. Multitasking Drain
Media multitasking—switching between platforms, social apps, games, and studying—has been tied to diminishing returns. Students who constantly task-switch score lower academically than those with focused habits.
Excess screen time, especially before bed, disrupts sleep cycles by reducing melatonin. Well‑documented research confirms that sleep disruption impairs memory, attention, and overall cognitive performance .
In young children, overuse of screens—especially passive ones—can affect language and critical thinking and even alter cortical development. For older students, still-developing attention skills can be undermined by brief video-based stimuli that shape shorter attention spans and reduced comprehension.
It’s important to distinguish types of screen activity:
At New10s, we harness robust tech integrated with data-driven guidance to support better screen habits and improved learning outcomes.
Our intuitive dashboards help educators and parents monitor individual or class-level screen usage trends—highlighting spikes in passive or multitasking behaviors.
Custom alerts notify students in real-time when they’ve exceeded healthy screen-time limits, prompting breaks or shifts to educational content.
We offer structured “phone-free” challenges for students—gamified and trackable via our platform—with rewards and community support to boost focus and reduce distractions.
New10s provides plug‑and‑play compatibility with LMS systems, helping educators tag screen usage patterns to academic performance analytics. This enables targeting support where overuse corresponds with slipping marks.
Our training modules support school or home environments in setting boundaries, identifying quality content, and modeling healthy behavior as role models.
By connecting analytics with interventions and rewards, New10s helps create a healthier relationship between students and their screens—maximizing learning without rejecting technology.
Screen time isn’t inherently bad, but excess, mindless use, especially mobile devices, can disrupt focus, cognition, sleep, and subsequently grades. The solution lies in balance—encouraging educational, interactive use, while minimizing passive, multitasking behaviors.
With tools like those at New10s, students and educators can:
By integrating purpose, technology, and wellbeing, we can transform screens from distractions into powerful learning tools—and support better marks and student success.
Interested in how New10s can help your school or learners develop a healthier digital lifestyle? Visit www.new10s.in or drop us a message—we’re happy to help design a plan that fits your needs.
