In a groundbreaking effort to understand how digital habits shape young minds, the United Kingdom is launching the world’s first major scientific trial to examine whether reducing social media use can improve adolescent mental health and wellbeing. Named “The IRL Trial,” the study will involve 4,000 pupils aged 12-15 from 30 secondary schools in Bradford, with results expected in summer 2027.
UK launches world’s first major trial examining whether limiting teen social media use improves mental health and wellbeing.
Co-led by Professor Amy Orben from the University of Cambridge and Dr. Dan Lewer from the Born In Bradford study, the trial will use a research app to limit access to major social media platforms to just one hour per day while imposing night-time curfews on usage. Importantly, messaging services like WhatsApp will remain available to preserve family communication.
Entire year groups will experience the same conditions, allowing researchers to capture peer network effects accurately.
The study will assess changes in anxiety, sleep quality, depression, body image, and time spent with friends and family. Researchers will also examine impacts on school absences, bullying, and offline social interactions, paying particular attention to adolescents with pre-existing heightened anxiety. The research will also evaluate the incidence of bullying among participants across the different conditions. Evaluation methods will include interviews, questionnaires, and app data collection. Chronic stress from social pressures can also affect physical health by increasing inflammation and weakening immune responses, which the study may help to illuminate for adolescents with stress-related inflammation.
This trial builds on previous Cambridge research revealing that adolescents with mental health conditions spend 50 extra minutes daily on social media. Born In Bradford research findings due later in 2026 show that average social media use for 13-year-olds is around three hours per day. The findings will inform ongoing UK policy debates, including a government consultation announced in January 2026 that explores potential social media bans for under-16s and raising the digital age of consent. The consultation considers improving age verification and restricting addictive features like streaks and infinite scrolling.
The research aligns with broader governmental actions promoting healthier child-tech relationships. New school policies require phone-free environments by default, with Ofsted scrutinizing mobile phone policies during inspections. Tougher guidance now bans pupil access to devices during lessons, breaks, and lunch to tackle attention span reduction and learning distractions.
While independent from government policy, the trial addresses teenagers’ expressed desires for healthier online lives and responds to NHS data linking social media use to declining mental health outcomes.
