Educommunication and Appropriate Use of Social Media in Preadolescence

Abstract

The use of social media during preadolescence has cognitive, behavioral, and emotional impacts on the educational development of minors. With this in mind, the study encompasses two dimensions. Firstly, it aims to examine the social media usage patterns of a group of preadolescent students, with the goal of establishing possible correlations with their academic performance. Secondly, it seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of a communicative intervention aimed at raising awareness about the proper use of social media, focusing on both informative aspects and behavior modification. The methodological approach involves a pre-test post-test design with a single experimental group, consisting of 136 students aged 10 to 12. Data analysis is carried out using statistical techniques, including correlation analysis, a binary logistic regression model (BLR), and a Wilcoxon signed-rank test for paired data. The results indicate that the subjects in the sample spend almost two hours a day on social media, while parental control is insufficient and ineffective. An inverse correlation is observed between academic performance and both the number of social media platforms used and the daily hours of use. However, after the implementation of the actions, a statistically significant decrease in usage and consumption patterns of these platforms is evident.