Psychological consequences of school mobile phone bans: Emulated trial of a natural experiment in South Australia

IF 8.9 1区心理学 Q1 PSYCHOLOGY, EXPERIMENTAL

Computers in Human Behavior Pub Date : 2025-08-08 DOI:10.1016/j.chb.2025.108767

Stéphanie Baggio , Tracey Wade , Marcela Radunz , Christina R. Galanis , Joël Billieux , Vladan Starcevic , Blake Quinney , Daniel L. King

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Evidence on the psychological effects of mobile phone bans policies in schools remains limited. This study estimated the effect of a mobile phone ban policy on adolescents’ 1) psychological distress and 2) mood.

Methods

We conducted a secondary analysis of a natural experiment using an emulated trial framework to examine the effects of a mobile phone ban implemented in Australian schools in 2023 (n = 1062). The exposure was a school-wide mobile phone ban (ban already implemented, ban not yet implemented). The primary outcome was psychological distress as measured by the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10). Secondary outcomes included positive and negative affect assessed by a mood scale from the Programme for International Student Assessment. We performed adjusted linear regressions, using inverse probability of treatment weighting to balance the groups on pre-identified confounders.

Results

The phone ban was associated with reduced psychological distress (b = −0.94, p = .044, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.85; −0.03) and negative affect (b = −0.62, p < .001, 95 % CI: 0.94; −0.29). No significant effect was found for positive affect (b = 0.27, p = .097, 95 % CI: 0.05; 0.59).

Conclusions

In this emulated trial of Australian secondary school students, the implementation of a mobile phone ban was associated with small but significant reductions in psychological distress and negative affect. Mobile phone bans in schools may thus have a beneficial effect on psychological well-being of adolescents. Given the modest effect sizes, such bans should be considered as one component of a comprehensive approach to supporting adolescent mental health in educational settings.

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学校禁止使用手机的心理后果：南澳大利亚自然实验的模拟试验

关于学校禁止使用手机政策的心理影响的证据仍然有限。这项研究估计了手机禁令对青少年的影响：1)心理困扰和2)情绪。方法我们使用模拟试验框架对自然实验进行了二次分析，以检查2023年在澳大利亚学校实施的手机禁令的影响（n = 1062）。曝光的是全校范围内的手机禁令（禁令已经实施，禁令尚未实施）。主要结果是通过Kessler心理困扰量表（K10）测量心理困扰。次要结果包括积极和消极影响，由国际学生评估项目的情绪量表评估。我们进行了调整后的线性回归，使用处理权重的逆概率来平衡预先确定的混杂因素组。结果禁用手机与减少心理困扰相关(b = - 0.94, p = 0.044, 95%可信区间[CI]: 1.85；−0.03)和消极影响(b =−0.62,p <；.001, 95% ci: 0.94；−0.29)。阳性情绪无显著影响(b = 0.27, p = 0.097, 95% CI: 0.05；0.59)。在对澳大利亚中学生进行的模拟试验中，禁止使用手机与心理困扰和负面影响的减少有微小但显著的联系。因此，在学校禁止使用手机可能对青少年的心理健康有有益的影响。鉴于影响不大，应将此类禁令视为在教育环境中支持青少年心理健康的综合办法的一个组成部分。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Computers in Human Behavior Multiple-

CiteScore

19.10

自引率

4.00%

发文量

381

审稿时长

40 days

期刊介绍： Computers in Human Behavior is a scholarly journal that explores the psychological aspects of computer use. It covers original theoretical works, research reports, literature reviews, and software and book reviews. The journal examines both the use of computers in psychology, psychiatry, and related fields, and the psychological impact of computer use on individuals, groups, and society. Articles discuss topics such as professional practice, training, research, human development, learning, cognition, personality, and social interactions. It focuses on human interactions with computers, considering the computer as a medium through which human behaviors are shaped and expressed. Professionals interested in the psychological aspects of computer use will find this journal valuable, even with limited knowledge of computers.