Tessera

Karina Colombo

@karicolombo.bsky.social

AP at @deFCEA. PhD in Economics @EUI_ECO. Msc @bse_barcelona. Parenting, child development, gender, mental health, poverty.

0 Posts14 Follower 31 Folgt

VoxEU @ CEPR @voxeu.org · 4w ago

@karicolombo.bsky.social & Elisa Failache find that greater lifetime exposure to high-speed internet reduces children’s scores in communication, problem solving, personal-social and socio-emotional skills. cepr.org/voxeu/column... #EconSky

FTTH exposure reduces the probability that a child is developing within normal ranges – as opposed to being flagged for monitoring or at risk of developmental delays – by 21 to 33 percentage points for communication and socio-emotional skills. A dose-response analysis shown in the figure confirms that the negative effects grow monotonically with the intensity of exposure, providing further confidence in a causal interpretation.

The rapid expansion of high-speed internet has intensified concerns about how digital technologies affect early childhood. Using the staggered rollout of fibre optic to the home in Uruguay as a natural experiment, this column finds that greater lifetime exposure to high-speed internet reduces children’s scores in communication, problem solving, personal-social and socio-emotional skills. The effects are partly explained by indirect channels, through the displacement of valuable activities for child development and alterations in caregivers’ behaviour.

European University Institute @eui-eu.bsky.social · last yr.

PhD researcher @karicolombo.bsky.social at @eui-eco.bsky.social studies the consequences of prolonged screen time & use of high-speed internet on the cognitive and non-cognitive skills of children & adolescents. 📌 Read more on the potential effects and risks of the new technologies: buff.ly/dD2Itlr

VoxEU @ CEPR @voxeu.org · last yr.

In #Uruguay, youth report increased worry but reduced loneliness as access to high-speed internet grows. Dissatisfaction with oneself and increased risky behaviours are behind the detrimental effect. @karicolombo.bsky.social, E Failache, M Querejeta cepr.org/voxeu/column... #EconSky

Graph of the effects of high-speed-internet access on mental health.

The world has experienced a digital revolution that has affected countless aspects of our lives, posing both potential benefits and risks to our wellbeing. This column examines the impact of high-speed internet in Uruguay on young people’s socioemotional wellbeing. Young people report increased worry but reduced loneliness as access to high-speed internet grows. Dissatisfaction with oneself and increased risky behaviours are behind the detrimental effect. Educational and health systems should take preventive actions so that youth can take advantage of the internet while reducing emerging risks.