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

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. 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. 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). 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. • Evidence on psychological effects of school phone ban policies remains limited. • This study emulated a trial using a natural experiment on phone ban in Australia. • School phone bans are linked to lower psychological distress in adolescents. • Phone bans decreased negative emotions without changing positive emotions.