Social Media Use, Frustration Resilience, and Impulsivity as Predictors of Grades among Adolescents

Recent research has revealed evidence of negative associations between time spent on social media and academic achievement (for a review, see Appel et al., 2020). It may be that spending high amounts of time on social media, which provides immediate and easy access to information and entertainment, may inhibit the ability to tolerate frustration and to persist despite difficulty- two important skills needed to succeed academically. The current study tested this hypothesis in a sample of adolescents. Specifically, we hypothesized that the relation between social media use (SMU) and grades would be mediated by persistence despite difficulty and frustration tolerance. Additionally, we predicted that trait impulsivity would moderate these relations. Results showed no significant direct effect of SMU on grades; however, as hypothesized, there were indirect effects of SMU on grades, mediated by frustration resilience. Specifically, higher levels of SMU were associated with lower levels of frustration resilience, which in turn statistically predicted lower grades. Contrary to hypotheses, impulsivity did not moderate the effects of SMU on frustration resilience. The results suggest that SMU may predict poorer grades partly because heavy social media use inhibits the development of skills and motivations needed to persist in the face of academic challenges.