Common Sense Media has issued a new research report, Children, Teens, and Entertainment Media: The View from the Classroom.  Findings include:

Most teachers think that use of entertainment media has impaired ability to learn and perform in the classroom by decreasing attention span and hurting their critical thinking ability. The greatest area of concern is about the impact of media use on writing ability. The media most often cited as problematic are texting, social networking, video games, and television, depending on the students’ age. While teachers praise the benefits of media in teaching multi-tasking and researching information resources, overall they were concerned about the impact it has, not just on learning but social interaction.