Researchers evaluate the effects of school phone use policies on adolescent mental health.
By Dr. Liji Thomas, MDReviewed by Benedette Cuffari, M.Sc.Feb 7 2025 In a recent study published in The Lancet Regional Health Europe, researchers evaluate the effects of school phone use policies on adolescent mental health .
Up to two hours of smartphone use every day may benefit mental health and other academic and behavioral outcomes in children. However, existing evidence suggests that increasing phone usage is associated with lower mental wellbeing among adolescents, which can negatively impact learning abilities, school behaviors, physical activity levels, and sleep duration in affected individuals.
The present study is the first to use a nationally representative sample of adolescent students to assess the impact of school phone use policies on mental health and academic outcomes. This cross-sectional observational study comprised 1,227 students between 12 and 15 years of age across 30 secondary schools.
For example, median phone usage was only 10 minutes in restrictive schools as compared to one hour in permissive schools. Children spent a median of less than two minutes as compared to 30 minutes on social media in restrictive and permissive schools, respectively. During school hours, restrictive policies led to about 40 minutes less phone time and about 32 minutes less social media use.
Self-reported mental health, overuse of social media, and motivations for using social media did not change despite restricting in-school phone use. Likewise, no difference was observed between restricted phone use during school hours and self-reported sleep duration and quality or physical activity.
Addiction Adolescents Children Physical Activity Sleep Students
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