Bradford Teens Participate in Landmark Social Media Study
In May, social media was an integral part of daily life for teenagers in Bradford, who were then asked to restrict their smartphone use as part of a significant research project. Six weeks later, this age group faces a potential UK ban on major social media platforms. What insights has the study uncovered?
Fifteen-year-olds Lucia and Declan, students at Appleton Academy in Wyke, have experienced a challenging summer. They were instructed to limit their use of apps such as Snapchat, TikTok, and Facebook to one hour daily for six weeks, with no usage permitted after 9pm.
"It's made me feel more in control and it's made my life feel calmer because I'm not constantly sat on the phone,"Lucia, who previously spent four hours daily scrolling, shared.
"It's been hard to contact the people I don't have the phone numbers of.
"I do late night racing and stuff, so definitely the bedtimes it's quite hard to stick to."
In June, the Prime Minister announced a ban on social media use for under-16s, set to be implemented by spring 2027. Recently, the government revealed that older teenagers in the UK will face an overnight social media curfew, though they can opt out by adjusting their account settings.
Details of the IRL Trial and Participant Experience
Researchers at Born In Bradford, alongside external collaborators, believe the IRL (In Real Life) trial is the first major scientific study examining social media's effects on young people's mental health. The initial phase involved 200 teenagers, with plans to expand to thousands more from local schools in the autumn.
Year 10 pupils (aged 14-15) were asked to restrict social media use to one hour per day, with no access between 9pm and 7am. Year 9 students (aged 13-14) were limited to two hours daily, with the same overnight restriction. Year 8 pupils (aged 12-13) continued their usual social media habits.
Participants completed surveys and installed a specialized app to monitor their usage. The app recorded an average social media use of five and a half hours daily, exceeding the four hours reported in surveys.
Dr John Pickavance, who manages the trial, noted that many participants struggled to adhere to the restrictions.
"About half of them had the app installed for the full duration, and of those, half of them successfully completed the targets that we'd set them.
"Although, interestingly, even those who didn't stick to those targets, they were also successful at reducing the amount of social media they were using."
To improve participation, the one-hour limit will be removed for the main trial.
Fourteen-year-old Star, who was subject to a two-hour daily limit, described the experience positively.
"It definitely made me happy and feel better in myself. It gave me a lot of self-confidence,"he said.
However, some families found the strict time limits difficult. Fifteen-year-old Oliver uses Snapchat and TikTok to stay in touch with friends.
"After school I went over it about two or three hours and then on weekends I went over it about four or five hours more,"Oliver explained.
Oliver's mother, Vicky, commented on the challenge.
"I thought it was important to see if our young people could actually stick to a bit of a limit. It didn't work this time though unfortunately.
"I'm just as bad. I can sit there for hours lost on TikTok just scrolling away."
School Response and Future Plans
Headteacher Rachel Garlick noted that the trial has encouraged constructive discussions among students.
"They've talked to us about the fact that they are more considerate around their use of social media outside of school, meeting up with their friends rather than communicating everything through social media or games platforms.
"That's been quite a unique response."
With the feasibility study complete, researchers plan to launch the major project in September, with initial findings expected early next year.
The students involved have varied opinions on the impending restrictions.
"I don't think it will work because social media is a big part of everyone's life,"said 14-year-old Imogen.
"I'm not very happy with it, but I think overall it's the best decision for the youth and it will help them socialise and help their mental health get better."
Dr Pickavance emphasized the importance of the research in light of the upcoming ban.
"This now represents our last chance to run a rigorous scientific study at a time when social media is available to all under-16s.
"We hope it will keep this conversation going and keep our policymakers making decisions in the best interests of our young people."
Additional Information
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- What happens when pupils cut back on social media?
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- Study examines impact of limiting social media use
