TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Baert, Stijn
AU  - Vujic, Suncica
AU  - Amez, Simon
AU  - Claeskens, Matteo
AU  - Daman, Thomas
AU  - Maeckelberghe, Arno
AU  - Omey, Eddy
AU  - Marez, Lieven De
        TI  - Smartphone Use and Academic Performance: Correlation or Causal Relationship?
        PY  - 2018/Apr/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 11455
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/publications/dp11455
        AB  - After a decade of correlational research, this study is the first to measure the causal impact of (general) smartphone use on educational performance. To this end, we merge survey data on general smartphone use, exogenous predictors of this use, and other drivers of academic success with the exam scores of first-year students at two Belgian universities. The resulting data are analysed with instrumental variable estimation techniques. A one-standard-deviation increase in daily smartphone use yields a decrease in average exam scores of about one point (out of 20). When relying on ordinary least squares estimations, the magnitude of this effect is substantially underestimated.
        KW  - causality
KW  - academic performance
KW  - smartphone use
        ER  -