Those that are concerned about their child's mobile phone usage in school can rest in peace, according to research by Michigan State University. In a research study comprised of 12 year old individuals from 20 schools, it was discovered that cellular telephones had no effect on the learning capabilities of the children. The research showed that female students used telephones more than their male counterparts, while male students engaged in video games more than females did.
Video games were a different story. Those that allow children to learn visually based on pictures and images boost scores in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math are fine, however others can lower performance. Professor Linda Jackson, author of the report, admitted that children aren't going to stop playing video games anytime soon - rather, she advocated that video game developers work on creating games that are centered around visual-spatial skills and not on violence. Additionally, more games need to be tailored to girls, in order to equally boost their visual-spatial skills.
On the mobile phone front, one caveat still remains: further research is needed with older children who may engage in "devious behavior" (we like the word 'tomfoolery') such as text messaging, or using the device to cheat.
Source: Tech Radar
