High school pupil Jess Maynard admits Facebook can be a distraction when it comes to homework.
The 15-year-old, year 11 pupil from Upper Riccarton said she spent about five hours a day chatting to many of the 500 friends she had on the internet social networking site.
Jess believed the friends she hung out with spent about the same amount of time on Facebook - way above the findings of a recent Canterbury University study.
Research by psychology master's student Milesa Cepe found 93% of high school pupils and university students checked Facebook at least once a day.
She found high school pupils in general spent more time on Facebook than university students.
Ms Cepe said her research showed
56% of high school pupils spent at least 15 minutes to an hour on Facebook in any given session. That compared with 54% of university students spending five to 15 minutes.
''The difference may be due to high school students having less academic pressure and, therefore, having more time to spend on Facebook,'' she said.
But Jess said she did not make brief checks on her Facebook page.
''I kind of stay on it and I've done that since I was about 15,'' she said.
''I talk to people and look at the photos.''
Ms Cepe said
the more high school pupils checked Facebook the lower their grades were.
''Almost 40% of high school [pupils] who checked Facebook between 21 to 31 plus times a day either had low grades or failed,'' she said.
''Whereas 49% of [university] students who checked Facebook up to just four times a day had grades that were merit and above.''
Ms Cepe said checking Facebook more often did not necessarily mean that was the reason learners achieved or failed.
''[They] may already be struggling academically and Facebook is used as a tool to relieve academic stress.''
She said it was important to note that the 60% of pupils who had a high Facebook usage - checking 21 to 31 times a day - also achieved merit or above.
Jess said she was doing fine with her school studies, but conceded Facebook could be a big distraction: ''If I need to do homework, I'll be on Facebook instead. It's quite distracting.''
Ms Cepe said Facebook might not necessarily be distracting for learners.
''Other factors may be involved such as parenting and social background,'' she said.
''It also depends how people use it.
''Facebook groups can be used to connect classmates together for study, it can allow people to share ideas for assignments and it can provide social support for students who are too shy to talk to a classmate in person.''
- The Star
