According to a study by UNSW Sydney researchers, the fear of being judged online may be impacting adolescents’ ability to focus on daily tasks. The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns have led to an increased reliance on online interactions among young people.

“Much research has been directed at understanding the impact of online interactions on adolescents’ well-being and cognitive functioning. But the evidence is mixed, leaving us parents, policymakers and educators at a loss as to whether we should encourage or prevent social media use in our young people,” the researchers explain.

The threat of being judged

The researchers explored the effects of the threat of online evaluation on the well-being and cognition of adolescents. The study simulated the feeling of being assessed or judged by peers online, a common experience when posting or interacting on social media.

Participants were asked to record an audio introduction before completing an online learning task and were told that the recordings would be evaluated by others online.

“During the online learning task, there was a ‘views and comments tracker’ at the bottom of the screen. Participants didn’t know what recordings were being viewed or commented on, nor did they know whether the comments were positive or negative. This was to make it analog to what it’s like in real life—when you have to do a task, you can’t track what’s happening online, but you know there will be a level of evaluation,” the researchers explain.

The results reveal that all of the volunteers showed an increase in their negative mood after facing a social evaluative threat, with this also linked to reduced accuracy in the task they were asked to perform.

“There’s been a 52% increase in time spent online by young people during the pandemic. It’s important now, more than ever, to assess how it impacts learning and well-being,” the researchers explain.

“Our research showed that when young people thought that others might be evaluating them, they felt upset and their ability to perform a basic cognitive task was impaired. Assuming these findings reflect the impact of online social evaluation, then these results are concerning.”

During adolescence, individuals tend to move away from their immediate family and focus more on interacting with larger peer groups. Social interactions during this time play a vital role in shaping one’s sense of self, well-being, and learning. Adolescents also spend a significant amount of time online, specifically an average of six hours on non-academic activities, mostly on social media platforms.