Do School Phone Bans Really Improve Adolescent Wellbeing? The SMART Schools Study Says “Not So Fast”

Why “No Phones” Policies Aren’t the Fix We Think They Are
And why this matters even if you’re here for ADHD

This isn’t an ADHD-specific study, but it speaks volumes to something I see a lot: the growing momentum behind school phone bans, often framed as a silver bullet for improving teenage mental health.

But the data tells a more nuanced story.

A recent study published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe found that prohibiting phone use during school hours didn’t reduce overall screen time or improve wellbeing. Teens - being teens - simply shifted their phone use to after school. So the policy didn’t change the how much, just the when.

Still, the reflex response I hear from some local clinicians is to go all in: ban phones altogether. No access, no distractions. Case closed.

But here’s the rub - especially relevant in the ADHD space: banning access doesn’t teach regulation. ADHD is, at its core, a challenge of self-regulation. And we can’t expect young people to learn those skills by eliminating the very thing they need to learn to manage.

In my view, the real opportunity lies in teaching teens how to use tech responsibly - supporting them in developing the executive function muscles that will serve them far beyond the school gates.

Background

Concerns about the impact of smartphone use on adolescent mental health have sparked global debates and policy shifts. Many countries have responded with restrictive school phone policies, hoping to mitigate rising rates of anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, and poor academic performance. But is banning phones during the school day actually helping?

Enter the SMART Schools study - a large-scale, observational cross-sectional study conducted in England to investigate whether such policies live up to the promise.

Study Design

Researchers examined 1,227 students aged 12–15 across 30 English secondary schools:

• 20 schools with restrictive phone policies (no recreational use allowed during school hours),
• 10 schools with permissive policies (allowing use at certain times or places).

Outcomes measured included:

• Primary: Mental wellbeing (Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale)
• Secondary: Anxiety, depression, sleep, physical activity, academic attainment, classroom behavior, and phone/social media use.

Key Findings

1. No Mental Health Benefit from Restrictive Policies
   There was no significant difference in mental wellbeing, anxiety, or depression between students in schools with restrictive versus permissive phone policies. Mental wellbeing scores hovered around 47 out of 70 in both groups.
2. Less In-School Phone Use, But No Overall Change
   Students in restrictive schools used their phones and social media less during school hours (by about 30–40 minutes) but spent similar amounts overall across the week compared to students in permissive schools.
3. More Phone Time = Worse OutcomesAcross the board, greater phone and social media use correlated with worse outcomes, including:
   • Lower mental wellbeing
   • Higher anxiety and depression scores
   • Poorer sleep and less physical activity
   • More disruptive behavior in class
   • Lower academic attainment
4. Policy Design May Be Too Narrow
   Restrictive policies did not reduce total weekly phone use, suggesting that students simply shifted their usage to before or after school. Even the strictest schools - where phones were locked away or banned from the premises - saw no improvements in wellbeing.

Implications

While limiting in-school phone use may curb distractions during lessons, the study does not support current blanket bans as a silver bullet for mental health or academic achievement. Instead, it suggests that interventions must be more holistic, addressing total screen time and helping young people build healthier digital habits across all contexts - not just within school walls.

Final Word

This study challenges the assumption that banning phones in schools alone is enough to improve adolescent wellbeing. The evidence points instead toward a broader public health strategy - one that engages students, parents, and educators to co-create more effective and sustainable digital wellness approaches.

So Where Do We Go From Here?

If we’re serious about supporting teen wellbeing - especially for those with ADHD - then we need to shift our mindset from control to cultivation. Blanket bans may offer the illusion of order, but they don’t equip students for the messy reality of digital life.

Instead, schools AND families can take a more empowered route: model healthy tech use, create space for reflection and discussion, and scaffold the development of self-regulation.

That’s the long game. It’s slower, yes - but it actually builds the skills we say we want teens to have.

Because if we keep removing the challenge instead of supporting the skill, we’re not fostering growth - we’re just kicking the problem down the line.

School phone policies and their association with mental wellbeing, phone use, and social media use (SMART Schools): a cross-sectional observational study
Goodyear, Victoria A. et al.
The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, Volume 51, 101211