Ok, so that is exaggerating it a little bit. However, the social networking giant is making headlines again, but not for reasons that will be appealing to parents. A recent study is showing that there is a correlation between a student using Facebook, and a decline in academic performance.

Facebook had originally started as a social-networking site exclusively for college students. This became such a popular form of communication that Facebook opened its doors to the general public a few years ago. When the site originated, it was as simple as a profile photo, some basic information about the user, and a “wall” where comments could be left to communicate with other users. This then expanded to photo albums, quizzes, status changes (communicating what a person is doing at any given moment), and much more. Needless to say, as the options enhanced, so did the amount of time students were surfing the website.

The study does not consider whether the amount of time a student uses the site has an impact or not. What the study does show is that students that use the site have a significantly lower GPA then those who do not use the site. Click here to view the article. Therefore, one could safely assume that by using the social networking site, it could play a factor in whether or not a student has the grades to get into a particular college or not.

This is yet another way Facebook has been shown to possibly impede the chances of a student being accepted to a particular college. Joe College has previously blogged about Facebook being used as a tool to gather information about applicants before making a final decision. At times, this has resulted in a negative response for the student. The Chicago Tribune had published a story back in September, citing a study that found 10% of colleges acknowledge using Facebook as a way of gathering information about students that could impact their admissions decision. Click here to read the article. As we have warned before, beware of what you or your student is posting, it may have an impact on what college or university options will be available to them!

Do any of you use Facebook on a daily basis? Do you see your student using it on a daily basis? Do you think it is okay for colleges to look at the information and use it for admissions purposes? Have any of you seen changes in grades because of time spent on the social networking site? I would love to hear what you think!

Careful Networking,

Rich