Researchers in the UK are starting a major study to determine if restricting teenagers' social media use improves their mental health. The trial, involving thousands of 12-to-15-year-olds, will use an app to limit time on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Results are expected in mid-2027, amid growing calls for bans in countries like Australia.
A pioneering trial known as The IRL Trial is underway in Bradford, UK, aiming to provide clear evidence on whether curbing social media time benefits teenagers' well-being. Led by Amy Orben from the University of Cambridge and Dan Lewer from the Bradford Centre for Health Data Science, the study will recruit around 4,000 participants aged 12 to 15 from 10 schools.
Participants will install a custom app that monitors their social media activity. For half the group, the app will enforce a one-hour daily limit on apps such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, excluding messaging services like WhatsApp. It will also impose a curfew from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. This intervention cuts usage significantly, as the average screen time for this age group is about three hours per day, according to Lewer.
To minimize peer pressure effects, randomization occurs by school year group—for instance, year 8 might serve as the control while year 9 faces restrictions. The design incorporated feedback from teenagers themselves, who preferred limits over outright bans, as Lewer noted.
The six-week trial is set to begin around October, with data collection on anxiety, sleep quality, social interactions, body image, and school attendance. Unlike past studies relying on self-reports, this will use app-tracked usage for accuracy. Orben highlighted the uncertainty: "There is a range of evidence that social media is harming individual children and adolescents, including very severe harms," but population-wide impacts remain unclear.
This comes as Australia has banned social media for under-16s, and the UK considers similar measures. A recent UK government report emphasized the scarcity of robust causal evidence linking digital tech to youth mental health. Experts like Pete Etchells from Bath Spa University stress the need for youth involvement: "Children absolutely have to be part of this conversation." Margarita Panayiotou from the University of Manchester added that teens value social media for self-understanding but worry about control loss and cyberbullying, urging safer platforms via laws like the Online Safety Act 2023.
