UK Study Limits Social Media for Thousands of Children to Gauge Mental Health Impact

Thousands of children in the UK city of Bradford will have their social media access limited for six weeks as part of a new mental health study. The research, involving 12 schools, aims to determine the impact of restricted social media use on the behavior and mental well-being of children and teenagers.

Between 4,000 and 5,000 children aged 12 to 15 will participate in the trial. Some students will be limited to using ten selected apps for a maximum of two hours per day, with a 9 p.m. curfew, while others will have their usage monitored without restrictions. The apps included in the study are TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, Threads, X, Kick, and Twitch.

To evaluate the effects, students will complete questionnaires at the beginning and end of the six-week period, reporting on their anxiety levels, sleep quality, body image, and overall school life. Researchers are also keen to identify which social media platforms children use most frequently, and during which times of day they spend the longest periods online.

Participants who adhere to the restrictions will receive a £20 voucher for taking part, with an additional chance to win a £100 voucher by meeting the rules. The restrictions can be bypassed, but compliance will be tracked.

The £1.2 million study is being led by the Bradford Institute for Health Research and the University of Cambridge. It is described as the world's first randomized controlled trial focused on social media restrictions for children.

Dr. John Pickavance, the trial manager, told The Times that the study seeks to understand if restricted social media use leads to better sleep or increased physical activity, or if it simply results in a shift to other forms of screen time, such as television or video games. He also noted the importance of comparing the potential harm or benefit of these alternative screen activities.

Some students involved in the study expressed mixed views. One 12-year-old participant mentioned that online socializing can sometimes be preferable to face-to-face interactions, noting her use of Snapchat to communicate with friends and TikTok for entertainment, typically for about two hours daily. Another student suggested that social media is a source of learning for many and a way to connect with friends, adding that it is not the sole cause of depression in young people.

This study comes ahead of the UK government's planned introduction of a social media ban for individuals under 16 next spring. The government's initiative aims to be more stringent than Australia's, with 'world-leading' measures targeting gaming and live-streaming platforms to prevent strangers from contacting children. The proposed regulations would require restrictions to be enabled by default for users up to 17, with potential considerations for overnight curfews and features to mitigate endless scrolling for those under 18.

Further government actions are expected to include age restrictions for AI chatbots that simulate romantic relationships or roleplay, requiring a minimum age of 18. Broader age restrictions are also being considered for AI chatbots in general. Encrypted messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal will not be included in the forthcoming UK ban.