The impact of mobile internet on student cognitive performance during COVID: Evidence from Pakistan

The rapid shift toward remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the important role of internet access in educational delivery. While this transition has facilitated educational continuity globally, it has also led to unintended consequences, especially in regions with variable digital readiness. This paper examines the causal relationship between mobile internet prevalence and cognitive performance among children aged 5–16 in Pakistan during the pandemic. Our findings show that in areas with higher internet accessibility, there is a significant reduction in study time. By employing an instrumental variable approach with lightning strikes as the instrument, we find that a higher prevalence of 3G and 4G internet has a detrimental effect on students’ test scores in math, English, and reading, while there is little evidence of effects on the likelihood of dropout. The estimated effects remain consistent across sub-samples classified based on age, gender, and parental education. Our findings emphasize the need for strategies that maximize digital access benefits while minimizing disruptions to education.