Teenagers who watch screens in free time 'do worse in GCSEs'

Cambridge University study suggests that 14-year-olds who spend even an hour a day watching TV or online fall behind peers

Teenagers who spend hours on screens during their free time, either watching TV, playing computer games or surfing the internet, appear to achieve lower grades at GCSE, according to a study published on Friday.

Research from Cambridge University suggests that 14-year-olds who spend an hour a day on screens during their leisure time score nine fewer points at GCSE when the sum of their grades is calculated - the equivalent of dropping two grades from a B to a D. Two extra hours results in 18 fewer points at GCSE.