SMART Schools Study: An evaluation of the impact of school policies restricting daytime use of smartphones and social media on adolescent mental wellbeing
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN77948572 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN77948572 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | CPMS 52232 |
- Submission date
- 22/04/2022
- Registration date
- 12/07/2022
- Last edited
- 05/02/2025
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Ongoing
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English Summary
Background and study aims
Most adolescents own a smartphone and many use social media. In moderation, these interactive technologies can be advantageous for mental wellbeing. Yet negative wellbeing tends to increase with the increasing amount of time adolescents spend using smartphones and social media. We do not know exactly how much time adolescents spend using smartphones and social media, but we know that use in most adolescents is likely to be at levels that are potentially detrimental to wellbeing. We also have little current understanding of the nature of phone/media use in this age group and how this relates to wellbeing.
Many secondary schools have introduced policies that restrict phone use during the school day, however some schools have a more permissive approach to phones, allowing use at break and lunchtimes. This provides an opportunity to examine the impact of these restrictive school policies by comparing phone use and mental wellbeing in pupils attending schools restricting phone use, with those attending schools which allow phone use.
School phone/media policies are a plausible mental wellbeing intervention. Prior research suggests that schools are effective contexts to deliver health interventions, positively impact mental wellbeing, and support phone/media use behaviours. In addition, the UK government recently reported that schools urgently need evidence-based guidance on phone/media use to help them make informed decisions about how better to support adolescents uses of phones/media and their mental wellbeing.
The SMART Schools study aims to evaluate the types of school policies and phone/social media use that are optimal for adolescent mental wellbeing. We will also explore the factors influence policy implementation and phone/wellbeing relationships by talking to adolescents, school senior leader staff, teachers, parents and governors. An economic evaluation will be completed to assess whether school phone policies are value for money in terms of improving adolescent mental wellbeing
Who can participate?
Secondary Schools (age 11-19 years) within a 100 mile radius of the University of Birmingham across the West Midlands, East Midlands, East, South East, South West and North West (Local Authority-maintained schools, community schools, foundation and voluntary schools, academies, and free schools and colleges)
What does the study involve?
The study will take place in 30 secondary schools across the West Midlands, East Midlands, South East, East, South West and North West with year 8 (age 12-13 years) and 10 (age 14-15 years) pupils. We will work closely with secondary schools, senior leaders, teachers, governors, parents, adolescents and key stakeholders so that across the two school groups (schools that do not permit smartphone use and schools that permit smartphone use) we can:
1. Compare the impacts of the two policy types on mental wellbeing
2. Compare differences in: adolescents’ uses of phones/media (within school, over 24hrs and across 7 days); reasons why adolescents use their phones/media; and levels of addictive use
3. Compare behavioural outcomes that are often associated with mental wellbeing, including sleep, physical activity, classroom behaviour and attainment
4. Talk with school senior leader staff, teachers, parents, and governors to better understand the school phone/media policies that are implemented and what family/home factors influence policy implementation and phone/wellbeing relationships
5. Talk to adolescents to better understand how they experience relationships between their phone/media use, school policies and mental wellbeing
6. Assess the impact of these school policies on teachers’ time use to provide evidence of their value for money in terms of improving adolescent mental wellbeing
7. Engage with policy makers, national agencies and local authorities to communicate the findings to inform national policy and guidance, school policy and curricula, and the design and implementation of future interventions to improve mental wellbeing.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
This study will also give participating schools the opportunity to play a key role in the development of new guidelines for policy regarding smartphone and social media use in schools, and to identify how schools can support adolescent mental wellbeing. This study is a natural experiment exploring pupils’ current phone/media use and mental wellbeing, and therefore any risk or harm to participants is not expected as a direct result of the research.
Where is the study run from?
University of Birmingham (UK)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
April 2022 to July 2025
Who is funding the study?
National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) (UK).
Who is the main contact?
Dr Victoria Goodyear, V.A.Goodyear@bham.ac.uk
Contact information
Public
School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0001-5045-8157 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 121 4144874 |
| V.A.Goodyear@bham.ac.uk |
Scientific
Institute of Applied Health Research
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
United Kingdom
| ORCID ID |
0000-0002-2868-4892 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 121 4147990 |
| m.j.pallan@bham.ac.uk |
Study information
| Study design | Observational cross-sectional |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Observational |
| Secondary study design | Cross sectional study |
| Study setting(s) | School |
| Study type | Other |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | Smartphones, social Media and Adolescent mental wellbeing: the impact of school policies Restricting dayTime use |
| Study acronym | SMART Schools |
| Study hypothesis | Based on a review of existing evidence and our Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) activities, we suggest that school policies that do not permit smartphone use during the school day could lower the overall time adolescents spend on their phones and social media, and modify how and why they use these, thus impacting on their mental wellbeing. As a result, adolescents in schools that restrict phone/media use may have better mental wellbeing and lower levels of anxiety and depression. Furthermore, in these schools, mental wellbeing and mental health outcomes may be further strengthened because the reduced time spent on phones/media per day is likely to affect other mental wellbeing promoting behaviours, including: physical activity, sleep duration, disruptive classroom behaviour, attainment scores and the prevalence of addictive use. However, the relationship between phone/media use and mental wellbeing is highly complex and will be influenced by school, individual and family/home factors. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Approved 08/07/2022, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Ethics Committee University of Birmingham (University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT, UK; +44 121 4143344; s.l.cottam@bham.ac.uk), ref: ERN_22-0723 |
| Condition | Smartphones, social media and adolescent mental wellbeing |
| Intervention | Current interventions, as of 24/02/2023: This is a natural experimental study using mixed methods to compare the impact of school daytime restrictions on smartphone use on mental wellbeing in 2 secondary school contexts: schools that do not permit phone use (intervention) vs schools that permit phone use (control). The focus is on adolescents aged 12-13 years and 14-15 years (population). The primary outcome will be mental wellbeing, and we will measure secondary outcomes of anxiety, depression, classroom behaviour, attainment, physical activity, sleep, and addictive phone/media use. We will examine how the school environment, individual factors and family/home factors influence relationships between school policies, phone/media use and mental wellbeing. Data will be collected from 30 schools (20 intervention, 10 control) and 1170 adolescents. To measure the primary and secondary outcomes we will collect data from a student online survey and accelerometers. We will conduct document/website analysis and teacher and senior leadership team surveys to understand how school policies are implemented and to support the economic analysis. Qualitative data will be collected from 6 case study schools (3 intervention, 3 control) to examine the influence of the school environment, individual factors and family/home factors. 36 focus group interviews will be completed with adolescents, school staff, and parents. _____ Previous interventions: This is a natural experimental study using mixed methods to compare the impact of school daytime restrictions on smartphone use on mental wellbeing in 2 secondary school contexts: schools that do not permit phone use (intervention) vs schools that permit phone use (control). The focus is on adolescents aged 11-12 years and 14-15 years (population). The primary outcome will be mental wellbeing, and we will measure secondary outcomes of anxiety, depression, classroom behaviour, attainment, physical activity, sleep, and addictive phone/media use. We will examine how the school environment, individual factors and family/home factors influence relationships between school policies, phone/media use and mental wellbeing. Data will be collected from 30 schools (15, intervention, 15 control) and 750 adolescents. To measure the primary and secondary outcomes we will collect data from a student online survey and accelerometers. We will conduct document/website analysis and teacher and senior leadership team surveys to understand how school policies are implemented and to support the economic analysis. Qualitative data will be collected from 6 case study schools (3 intervention, 3 control) to examine the influence of the school environment, individual factors and family/home factors. 36 focus group interviews will be completed with adolescents, school staff, and parents. |
| Intervention type | Other |
| Primary outcome measure | Mental wellbeing measured using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) following data collection across 30 schools and by end of project 07/2024. Data collection will take place between 09/2022 and 02/2024 |
| Secondary outcome measures | Data collection will take place between 09/2022 and 02/2024 1. Anxiety symptoms over the previous two weeks, measured using Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7; measured over the past 2 weeks) 2. Depressive symptoms over the previous two weeks, measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9; measured over the past 2 weeks) 3. Addictive Use using the Problematic Social Media use Scale (measures mood regulation, cognitive preoccupation, compulsion, displacement). 4. Sleep (bed time, rise time, total time in bed and sleep efficiency [% of time in bed asleep vs awake] collected from accelerometers over 7 days 5. Physical activity (MVPA and overall PA) collected from accelerometers over 7 days 6. Attainment collected from form tutor (or equivalent) using an adapted Progress 8 questionnaire to determine whether students are working at expected grade in English and Maths 7. Disruptive Classroom Behaviour collected from form tutor (or equivalent) using the Pupil Behaviour Questionnaire |
| Overall study start date | 01/04/2022 |
| Overall study end date | 31/07/2025 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Mixed |
|---|---|
| Age group | Mixed |
| Lower age limit | 12 Years |
| Upper age limit | 15 Years |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | Planned Sample Size: 1170; UK Sample Size: 1170 |
| Total final enrolment | 1227 |
| Participant inclusion criteria | Current inclusion criteria as of 24/02/2023: 1. Secondary Schools (age 11-19 years) from local authorities within a 100 mile radius from the University of Birmingham (Local Authority-maintained schools, community schools, foundation and voluntary schools, academies, and free schools and colleges) 2. School Senior Leadership Team members, school teachers and parents/carers capable of giving informed consent 3. School pupils aged 12-13 years or 14-15 years capable of giving informed consent _____ Previous inclusion criteria: 1. Secondary Schools (age 11-19 years) in the West Midlands (Local Authority-maintained schools, academies and free and private schools) 2. School Senior Leadership Team members, school teachers and parents/carers capable of giving informed consent 3. School pupils aged 11-12 or 14-15 years capable of giving informed consent |
| Participant exclusion criteria | Current exclusion criteria as of 24/02/2023: 1. Special Schools, Pupil Referral Units and Independent Schools: these schools are excluded from this project because in these schools it is expected that there would be additional influences on adolescent mental wellbeing, behaviour and attainment, that would affect comparisons of the 2 school policies. Furthermore, our website analysis identified that most special schools do not permit phone use during the school day. It also identified that independent schools have different government funding and curriculum arrangements, different phone policies for year 8 and year 10 pupils, and additional phone policies for boarding pupils. 2. Secondary schools where school characteristics could not be accessed: these schools are excluded from this project because school characteristics (e.g. admissions policy, total pupil roll size) are required for propensity score calculations. 3. Secondary schools with different phone policy for year 8 and year 10 pupils: these schools are excluded from this project because we would be unable to clearly classify these schools into our intervention or control group. 4. Secondary schools that do not have both year 8 and year 10 classes, such as newly established schools. _____ Previous exclusion criteria: Special Schools: these schools are excluded from this project because in these schools it is expected that there would be additional influences on adolescent mental wellbeing, behaviour and attainment, that would affect comparisons of the 2 school policies. Furthermore, our website analysis identified that most special schools do not permit phone use during the school day. |
| Recruitment start date | 01/08/2022 |
| Recruitment end date | 30/11/2023 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- England
- United Kingdom
Study participating centre
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
University/education
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
England
United Kingdom
| researchgovernance@contacts.bham.ac.uk | |
| Website | http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/index.aspx |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/03angcq70 |
Funders
Funder type
Government
No information available
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 31/12/2026 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Available on request |
| Publication and dissemination plan | Planned publication in a high-impact peer-reviewed journal |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. After publication of the main findings of the study, the Chief Investigators will consider external requests to gain access to anonymised data. The dataset will be preserved and available for this purpose for a minimum of 10 years following the end of the study. Those requesting data will be asked to provide a brief research proposal including the objectives, timelines, intellectual property rights, and expected outputs, and a Data Sharing Agreement between the University of Birmingham and the requestor will be drawn up. Requestors will be required to acknowledge the research team and funders as a minimum and consider co-authorship of any publications arising from the data. Permission for anonymised data to be shared for the purpose of future academic research will be sought from all participants via the informed consent form. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participant information sheet | Information sheets for pupils, parents, schools, and staff | 01/09/2022 | No | Yes | |
| Protocol article | 05/07/2023 | 06/07/2023 | Yes | No | |
| Statistical Analysis Plan | version 1.0 | 29/11/2023 | 30/11/2023 | No | No |
| Results article | 04/02/2025 | 05/02/2025 | Yes | No |
Additional files
Editorial Notes
05/02/2025: Publication reference and total final enrolment added.
23/07/2024: The following changes were made:
1. The overall study end date was changed from 31/07/2024 to 31/07/2025.
2. The intention to publish date was changed from 31/12/2025 to 31/12/2026.
30/11/2023: The following changes were made:
1. The recruitment end date was changed from 31/12/2023 to 30/11/2023.
2. The statistical analysis plan was added.
06/07/2023: Publication reference added.
04/05/2023: Age group corrected from Adult to Mixed.
24/02/2023: The following changes were made to the trial record:
1. The interventions were changed.
2. The inclusion criteria were changed.
3. The exclusion criteria were changed.
4. The target number of participants was changed from 750 to 1170.
5. The trial participating centre was changed from "Secondary schools in the West Midlands" to "Secondary Schools within a 100 mile radius of the University of Birmingham across the West Midlands, East Midlands, East, South East, South West and North West.
6. The plain English summary was updated to reflect these changes.
02/09/2022: Internal review.
01/09/2022: The following changes have been made:
1. The ethics approval has been added.
2. The trial website has been added.
3. The participant information sheet has been added.
4. The individual participant data (IPD) sharing statement has been added and the IPD sharing summary has been changed from "Data sharing statement to be made available at a later date" to "Available on request".
22/04/2022: Trial's existence confirmed by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) (UK).
