Scientists have assessed the impact of banning phones in schools on the psyche of teenagers

Banning mobile phones in schools is seen as one of the ways to reduce distractions and improve the psychological state of teenagers. However, new evidence shows that restrictions alone may not be enough to address mental health issues. A study of schoolchildren in Iceland did not reveal significant improvements after the introduction of bans. About what the work of scientists has shown and why restrictions do not necessarily change the well—being of adolescents, see the Izvestia article.

The ban did not change mental health indicators

A study published in the journal JAMA Network Open looked at the link between banning mobile phones in schools and adolescent mental health. The researchers analyzed data from 23,938 participants from 70 schools in Iceland. The surveys were conducted in 2016, 2018 and 2023 among teenagers aged 13 to 15 years.

The researchers compared the changes in indicators in schools where a ban on the use of phones during the school day was introduced, and in educational institutions without such restrictions. Between 2018 and 2023, the ban appeared in 22 of the 70 schools included in the analysis. The rules could have stipulated that students leave smartphones at home, store them in lockers or put them in school bags.

The researchers assessed several mental health indicators, including symptoms of depression and anxiety, hostility, and psychological well-being. After the restrictions were introduced, no significant changes were found in these parameters in the overall sample. The results remained similar with a separate analysis of the boys' and girls' data.

The authors also checked whether the results varied depending on the duration of the ban and the strictness of the phone storage rules. These additional analyses did not show sustained improvements. At the same time, the work does not prove that restrictions cannot affect other aspects of school life: attention in lessons, involvement in studies and the burden on teachers were not studied separately.

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Anxiety and depression have not disappeared

One of the main objectives of the study was to find out whether restrictions on the use of smartphones are associated with changes in the severity of depressive symptoms and anxiety. Scientists have not found a significant improvement in these indicators after the introduction of bans. A similar pattern was observed when assessing hostility and psychological well-being.

In addition, the researchers examined social and behavioral indicators such as the feeling of peer support, the use of digital devices, and cases of bullying. The bans were not associated with noticeable changes in these areas either. In particular, the data did not show a steady decrease in either bullying at school or cyberbullying.

The results do not mean that smartphones do not affect teenagers or that school restrictions are meaningless. The work tested a specific hypothesis: does banning phones during the school day lead to an improvement in mental health and related social indicators at the level of the entire group of schoolchildren. The study did not give a positive answer to this question.

When interpreting the results, it is important to take into account the working arrangement. The researchers analyzed data from three waves of surveys, rather than observing the same teenagers over the entire period. In addition, the mental state was assessed by the responses of the participants themselves, rather than by clinical diagnoses. Therefore, the results describe changes in the studied groups and do not allow us to draw conclusions about each individual student.

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Why one restriction may not be enough

One possible reason for the lack of noticeable effect is that the smartphone ban affects only a part of teenagers' daily lives. Mental health depends on a variety of circumstances, including family and peer relationships, the school environment, and individual characteristics. Therefore, changing one rule does not necessarily lead to noticeable changes in the psychological state.

In the study, the researchers also found no significant change in perceived peer support. This is important because one of the supposed advantages of the ban was to create conditions for more personal communication between students. However, the data itself did not confirm that the restrictions led to a noticeable improvement in this indicator.

Another question is whether the ban really reduces the total time spent using digital devices. The study did not reveal significant changes in self-assessment of screen time, however, the researchers did not have objective data on how much time teenagers spent with smartphones directly at school. Therefore, it cannot be confidently stated that the restrictions did not change the behavior of students during classes.

In addition, the rules in schools varied in severity and methods of execution. Even a formal ban does not guarantee equal compliance by all students. The study does not allow us to determine which option of restrictions would be the most effective for changing the behavior or well-being of adolescents.

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What does this mean for school rules?

The authors concluded that school bans on phones, applied on their own, may not be sufficient to significantly improve the mental health of adolescents in the general population. This does not mean that schools should abandon restrictions: the study did not evaluate all possible educational effects of such measures and did not cover all circumstances of smartphone use.

There are limitations to the job. The decision to impose the ban was made by the schools themselves, not the researchers, so the groups could differ in the specifics of the school environment and other characteristics. Although scientists have taken into account a number of differences between educational institutions, it is impossible to completely exclude the influence of unaccounted-for factors. The results could also be influenced by broader changes in teenagers' lives between surveys.

The researchers note that more comprehensive measures may be required to improve the psychological state of schoolchildren. In particular, restrictions on phones can be considered in combination with bullying prevention programs, support for positive peer relationships, and training in responsible use of digital technologies. At the same time, the effectiveness of such approaches should be evaluated separately.

Thus, the study did not reveal a noticeable link between the introduction of school bans on phones and the improvement of the mental health of adolescents in Iceland. The results show that the effectiveness of such measures cannot be assessed solely by the introduction of restrictions: it is necessary to take into account exactly what changes they should provide and whether these changes occur in practice.