Socialising on websites affect school work?

Ministers may look into the effects of social networking sites such as Facebook on children\'s education, due to growing concern that academic achievement is falling due to overuse of sites such as Facebook, Bebo and MySpace, according to a report on www.voice-online.co.uk.



Schools Minister Diana Johnson made the suggestion after last month\'s SAT (standard assessment test) results raised concerns the standard of reading and writing in primary schools has dropped.



\"Perhaps that\'s an issue [Facebook] that needs to be looked at,\" Johnson said.



Monique Lawson, a teacher at Brownhills Secondary school in Birmingham, said youngsters spend too much time on social networking sites.



Asked whether Facebook and other sites had a negative effect on young people\'s education, Lawson told The Voice: \"Yes, in two aspects. The first aspect is that the young people physically spend too much time on these social networking sites, so are not giving enough attention to their schoolwork.



\"At times where they should be thinking about what they have learnt throughout the day, or doing their homework, they are wasting time on social networking sites.



\"The second aspect is that it effects the reading and writing skills of young people. While they are talking to their friends on these sites, they are using a lot of abbreviation and slang, and this effects their overall reading and writing skills.\"



Faye Brown, a Birmingham-based supply teacher, said youngsters spend a lot of time on the sites and get involved in \"trivial and unimportant\" things.

Asked whether social networking sites could affect SAT results, Brown added, \"Social networking sites may not be entirely to blame, but it is the same issue of time. Young people spend too much time on things such as watching TV and playing computer games.\"



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