Teen Smartphone Usage

Last registered on May 18, 2026

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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

Teen Smartphone Usage

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0018660

Initial registration date

May 17, 2026

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published

May 18, 2026, 8:27 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name

Roee Levy

Affiliation

Yale University

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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name

Analia Schlosser

PI Affiliation

Tel Aviv University

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PI Name

Yuval Ofek-Shanny

PI Affiliation

Bar Ilan University

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PI Name

Edgar Muchnik

PI Affiliation

Tel Aviv University

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Additional Trial Information

Status

In development

Start date

2026-05-19

End date

2027-12-31

Keywords

Behavior, Education, Health

Additional Keywords

smartphone, social media, teenagers, schools

JEL code(s)

Secondary IDs

Prior work

This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.

Abstract

We will conduct a survey experiment among high school students in Tel Aviv. One group of participants will receive information on addictive behavior related to smartphones and social media and its dangers. A second group will be exposed to a testimony from a teenager who suffered from her use of smartphones and social media. A control group will not be exposed to any information. We will study the effects on perceived optimal smartphone usage, the expected effects of decreasing smartphone usage, attitudes toward school smartphone policy, and willingness to decrease smartphone usage. We will also randomize (in a student and teacher survey) whether questions ask about what would happen if one student decreased smartphone usage or all students in the class decreased their usage.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Levy, Roee et al. 2026. "Teen Smartphone Usage." AEA RCT Registry. May 18. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.18660-1.0

Sponsors & Partners

Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

Our main intervention randomizes participants into the following groups:
* A control group
* An information group - participants will be provided with data on social media addictive behavior and their danger
* A narrative group - participants will be provided with a testimony of a high school student who suffered from her use of social media

A second intervention varies whether questions regarding smartphone use focus on only one student or the entire class

Intervention Start Date

2026-05-19

Intervention End Date

2026-06-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

1) Would you want to have a free smartphone tool that does the following: limits time on certain apps, blocks access to certain apps, limits the time spent on the phone, blocks notifications, not interested (can mark more than one option)
2) Belief regarding the optimal number of hours of smartphone use: on a weekday, outside of school on a weekday, on a day with no school
3) Expectation on how using a smartphone for up to two hours per day would affect: sleep, concentration, social connections, grades, and anxiety
4) How satisfied is the student with the school's smartphone policy
5) If you were a school principal, which policy would you implement regarding smartphone use: no restrictions at all, can only use phones during breaks, or a ban on smartphones during the whole school day? Participants can also choose 'other' and fill in a response. We will review the other category after several dozen responses, and remove it if students do not provide reasonable answers
4) Will the student be willing to reduce usage

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Survey experiment.
* We will randomize information on the potential danger of smartphones and social media.
* We will also randomize whether questions on smartphone usage ask about one student or the entire class.

Experimental Design Details

Not available

Randomization Method

Randomization done automatically on Qualtrics

Randomization Unit

Individual (student or teacher)

Was the treatment clustered?

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

Same as the number of observations

Sample size: planned number of observations

We hope to recruit approximately 2,000 students (the number we had in a baseline survey), but the number of observations may be substantially smaller due to logistical constraints

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

25% - information treatment
25% - narrative treatment
50% - control

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB