Digital engagement has become a pervasive feature of young people’s daily lives, promoting increasing interest in its effects on academic performance. This review synthesizes 81 longitudinal and experimental studies published from 2010 to 2025, focusing on research that strengthens causal inference.
Results consistently link unregulated and recreational digital use—especially passive social media engagement and media multitasking—to lower academic performance. Longitudinal studies suggest these effects play out over time through distraction, time substitution, and broader psychosocial pathways. Experimental studies provide causal evidence of attentional interference, task displacement, and, in structured contexts, motivational reinforcement. Notably, the effects of digital engagement vary significantly depending on the purpose and context of use. Purposeful engagement with educational digital content can enhance academic development and cognitive function, whereas entertainment-based use tends to predict poorer performance. Further, individual characteristics, socioeconomic background, educational context, and the intensity and duration of exposure all contribute to meaningful heterogeneity in outcomes.
Across the evidence base, several identified methodological inconsistencies limit comparability and causal precision. Despite this, the review provides clear, evidence-informed implications for digital-use policies, educational practices, and future research aimed at establishing stronger causal relationships.
VLACHOS Stavros;
CORTESI Alice;
CABEZA MARTINEZ Begona;
2026-05-07
Publications Office of the European Union
JRC146548
978-92-68-39423-6 (online),
1831-9424 (online),
EUR 40703,
OP KJ-01-26-180-EN-N (online),
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC146548,
10.2760/7227266 (online),
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