Media multitasking in adolescence
Open accessAbstract
Media use has been on the rise in adolescents overall, and in particular, the amount of media multitasking-multiple media consumed simultaneously, such as having a text message conversation while watching TV-has been increasing. In adults, heavy media multitasking has been linked with poorer performance on a number of laboratory measures of cognition, but no relationship has yet been established between media-multitasking behavior and real-world outcomes. Examining individual differences across a group of adolescents, we found that more frequent media multitasking in daily life was associated with poorer performance on statewide standardized achievement tests of math and English in the classroom, poorer performance on behavioral measures of executive function (working memory capacity) in the laboratory, and traits of greater impulsivity and lesser growth mindset. Greater media multitasking had a relatively circumscribed set of associations, and was not related to behavioral measures of cognitive processing speed, implicit learning, or manual dexterity, or to traits of grit and conscientiousness. Thus, individual differences in adolescent media multitasking were related to specific differences in executive function and in performance on real-world academic achievement measures: More media multitasking was associated with poorer executive function ability, worse academic achievement, and a reduced growth mindset.
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Research shows diminished performance on selective attention tasks among individuals with high levels of social media use.
“Research shows diminished performance on selective attention tasks among individuals with high levels of social media use (Cain, Leonard, Gabrieli, & Finn, 2016; Chen, Li, Guo, & Wang, 2023), though these studies operationalized use merely as time spent online.”
From Problematic social media use and cognitive performance in young adults: Associations with selective attention and inhibitory control (2026) · cites this paper as Cain, Leonard, Gabrieli, & Finn, 2016
The Executive functions section reports poorer performance on working-memory tasks among adolescents who reported more media multitasking. It does not report a selective-attention task result for high social-media users. The Media-multitasking index section also shows that use was measured by simultaneous consumption of multiple media, not merely time spent online. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredPSMU is associated with difficulties in filtering task-relevant information in the presence of competing stimuli.
“which aligns with prior work suggesting that PSMU is associated with difficulties in filtering task-relevant information in the presence of competing stimuli (Cain et al., 2016; Farchakh et al., 2022; Wegmann et al., 2020).”
From Problematic social media use and cognitive performance in young adults: Associations with selective attention and inhibitory control (2026) · cites this paper as Cain et al., 2016
The Abstract (page unavailable) reports prior findings linking media multitasking in adults to poorer filtering of distracting information. But the paper studies media multitasking, not problematic social media use (PSMU), and its own Executive functions results (page unavailable) found no significant association between media multitasking and filtering performance in adolescents. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredMore media multitasking was linked to significantly worse standardized test scores in math and English.
“and a U.S. study similarly found greater media multitasking was linked to statistically significant poorer performance on standardized test scores measuring academic performance in math and English (Cain, Leonard, Gabrieli, & Finn, 2016).”
From Screen Media Overuse and Associated Physical, Cognitive, and Emotional/Behavioral Outcomes in Children and Adolescents: An Integrative Review (2022) · cites this paper as Cain, Leonard, Gabrieli, & Finn, 2016
Increased media multitasking is associated with poorer working memory performance and lower academic outcomes.
“Cain et al. (2016) reported an association between increased media multitasking and poorer working memory performance and lower academic outcomes.”
From The impact of digital technology, social media, and artificial intelligence on cognitive functions: a review (2023) · cites this paper as Cain et al., 2016
Frequent media multitasking was associated with poorer performance on behavioral measures of working memory capacity.
“For example, Cain, Leonard, Gabrieli, and Finn (2016) found that frequent media multitasking was associated with poorer performance on behavioral measures of working memory capacity.”
From Efficient, helpful, or distracting? A literature review of media multitasking in relation to academic performance (2018) · cites this paper as Cain, Leonard, Gabrieli, and Finn (2016)
Negative outcomes such as impaired learning, reduced academic performance, and poorer social and psychological well-being have been associated with multitasking.
“However, negative outcomes such as impaired learning [45], reduced academic performance [42], poorer social and psychological well-being [46] have been associated with multitasking.”
This study highlighted a common pattern of mobile touch screen device use among adolescents: multitasking during use, consistent with survey studies indicating increased prevalence of multitasking with multiple devices in adolescents.
“In addition, this study has also highlighted a common pattern of MTSD use among adolescents - multitasking during MTSD use, which is consistent with survey studies indicating increased prevalence of multitasking with multiple devices in adolescents [1, 42].”
Multiscreening is evident in screen use among adolescents.
“This study also showed that multiscreening is evident in screen use among adolescents, supporting conclusions from a previous study [50].”
From Using Wearable Cameras to Categorize the Type and Context of Screen-Based Behaviors Among Adolescents: Observational Study (2022) · cites this paper as [50]
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“(Cain et al., 2016; Farchakh et al., 2022; Wegmann et al., 2020).”
- Authors
- Cain, M. S., Leonard, J. A., Gabrieli, J. D. E., & Finn, A. S.
- Affiliations
- Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center (US)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
- McGovern Institute for Brain Research (US)
- University of Toronto (CA)
- Corresponding author
- Cain, Matthew S.
- Venue
- Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
- Published
- 2016-05-17
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1932-1941
- ISSN
- 1069-9384 (ISSN-L)
- 1531-5320
- OpenAlex
- W2402992121
- Semantic Scholar
- 93b92b18f16680ec310998f5876c7f619aef0342
- Cited by
- 205
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 43 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 27 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 2
- FWCI
- 32.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Psychonomic Bulletin & Review (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DSpace@MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- Springer US
- Funders
- the National Institutes of Health
- the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Information Systems and Management › Personal Information Management and User Behavior
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Social Sciences › Education › Child Development and Digital Technology
- Keywords
- media multitasking, adolescents, executive function, working memory capacity, academic performance, standardized achievement tests, impulsivity, growth mindset, individual differences, cognitive performance
- MeSH terms
- Achievement, Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Child, Communications Media, Female, Humans, Individuality, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Adolescent Development, Executive Function
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