Swiped: A feasibility smartphone ban study measuring sleep, wellbeing and cognition in young adolescents

Introduction: The growing ubiquity of smartphones with around-the-clock access to social media has sparked concerns regarding their impacts on sleep, mental health, and cognition, particularly among young people. A rapid research response is crucial given the potential, yet still unclear, threats, and evidence-based solutions are needed to educate young people on how to use smartphones as part of a healthy lifestyle. Methods: We assessed the feasibility of a 21-day smartphone and social media (SSM) ban among 12-year-olds at a UK school, featured in the Channel 4 documentary: “Swiped: The School that Banned Smartphones”. Twenty-six Year-8 pupils (15 males, 11 females) participated, with pre-and post-ban assessments of sleep, wellbeing, and cognitive abilities (attention and working memory), alongside continuous objective monitoring of sleep and wellbeing via wearables. Results: By the end of the ban, self-reported sleep onset latency significantly decreased by ~20 minutes, and total sleep duration significantly increased by ~1 hour. Wearable sleep data followed this trend but was not statistically significant. Improved sleep coincided with significant attention gains, though working memory showed no change. Anxiety symptoms and negative mood significantly declined, while symptoms of depression exhibited a small, nonsignificant reduction. Wearable data also indicated small (but nonsignificant) improvements in heart rate variability (HRV), a physiological marker of emotional wellbeing. Social connectedness remained unchanged.Conclusion: This study highlights the feasibility of implementing collective SSM bans. Preliminary findings suggest such “detox” approaches may help schools educate young people on the benefits of reduced screen time, particularly for sleep and wellbeing.