Authors: Turky Alshaikhi 1, *, Mohamad Ahmad Saleem Khasawneh 2
Affiliations:
1Languages and Translation Department, College of Education and Arts, University of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
2Special Education Department, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
YouTube is a digital platform that can support the development of language skills, including writing. As an important tool for improving writing abilities, YouTube offers videos that help language learners practice creative writing and other types of writing in an easy and accessible way. However, the use of this platform may also create distractions for learners. This study focuses on examining the digital distractions that occur when using YouTube to improve writing skills in a foreign language. It also aims to suggest ways to make the platform more effective for language learning. The study involved seventy-nine participants, who were purposefully selected from different universities. To achieve the research objectives, a mixed-method approach was used to collect data from these participants. The findings revealed several digital distractions on YouTube that may affect the learning process, such as advertisements, video recommendations, the auto-play function, and pop-up notifications. Among these, advertisements and pop-up notifications were identified as the most common sources of distraction. Although these features may be useful for other purposes like marketing, they interrupt the learning process and reduce learners’ focus during language study.
YouTube platform, Language learning, Writing proficiency, Digital distractions, Pop-up notifications
https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2025.04.008
Alshaikhi, T., & Khasawneh, M. A. S. (2025). Exploring digital distractions in the use of YouTube for enhancing foreign language writing proficiency. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 12(4), 62–70. https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2025.04.008