The UCLA-led study found that elementary students who own cellphones tended to score lower on reading comprehension tests than classmates without phones, regardless of whether the device was present during testing. Researchers studied diverse third- and sixth-graders in Antelope Valley and Los Angeles County, asking students to read passages and report phone ownership and use. The association appeared tied to ownership rather than classroom distraction, though children from non-English-speaking homes who began texting earlier caught up by sixth grade. Authors caution the results are correlational and say banning phones alone is unlikely to fix reading outcomes.
UCLA Study Finds Cellphone Ownership Linked To Lower Reading Comprehension In Elementary Students
Group of teenagers using smartphones.
New research led by UCLA psychologists suggests that simply owning a cellphone is associated with weaker reading comprehension among elementary school students — even when the device is not present in class. The study examined diverse groups of third- and sixth-graders in Antelope Valley public schools and Coptic Church schools across Los Angeles County to explore whether ownership itself, rather than in-class distraction, relates to reading outcomes.
Giving your grade-schooler a cellphone could be hurting their ability to read—even if the device never leaves the house, according to a terrifying new study. Getty Images
Study Design
Students were asked to read short passages and answer comprehension questions. Researchers also collected survey data about phone ownership and usage patterns, including whether children brought phones to school or left them at home. The sample included children from households where English was and was not the primary language, allowing the team to examine how language background shaped any associations.
Researchers found elementary school children who owned their own phones consistently scored worse on reading comprehension tests than classmates without one. Getty Images
Key Findings
The analyses revealed a consistent pattern: students who owned their own cellphones scored lower on reading comprehension tests than peers who did not own phones. Importantly, scores were similar for students who had their phones with them during testing and for those whose phones were left at home, suggesting the association is linked to ownership rather than the immediate presence of a device in class.
Researchers also found virtually no difference between students who had their phones with them during testing and those who left them at home.
"We found that there's no age at which you can give a child a phone that's better or worse for reading comprehension, so it's just having a phone at all," said lead author Patricia Greenfield, a UCLA psychology professor. "That's true in third grade, and it's true in sixth grade."
Notable Exception
The researchers identified one important caveat: among students from homes where English was not the primary language, earlier adoption of texting after receiving a phone was associated with better later outcomes. Specifically, children from Arabic- or Spanish-speaking homes who began texting in second or third grade had, by sixth grade, reading comprehension scores similar to peers who did not own phones.
Implications
Authors emphasize that the findings show correlation, not causation, and that removing phones from classrooms alone is unlikely to automatically raise reading scores. However, keeping devices out of class may still support face-to-face interaction and social skill development. The study adds nuance to debates about children's screen exposure and suggests early phone ownership may be linked with literacy outcomes in ways that warrant further study and careful policy consideration.
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