UK study to examine effects of restricting social media for children

"Each year group in each school will then be randomly assigned to one of two conditions: either the app will simply record students' social media use, or the app will curtail students' social media use by limiting their access to the apps for TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Reddit, YouTube and Snapchat to one hour a day, as well as imposing a curfew from 9pm to 7am."

"A pioneering investigation into the impact of restricting social media access for children in the UK has been announced as politicians around the world consider action on the issue. In December, Australia became the first country to ban under-16s from social media, with governments in other countries including the UK under pressure to do the same. However, while experts say there is evidence that aspects of social media are harmful"

A randomized trial will test the effects of restricting social media use among about 4,000 secondary-school students in years 8–10 across 30 schools in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Participants will complete an initial questionnaire on mental health, sleep and friendships and install a research app on their main device. Year groups will be randomly assigned by school to either a recording-only condition or a restricted-access condition that limits access to major social apps to one hour per day and imposes a 9pm–7am curfew. Messaging apps such as WhatsApp will remain unrestricted. Follow-up questionnaires will be completed after six weeks to assess outcomes.

Read at www.theguardian.com