Cutting smartphone use to under 2 hours a day improved mood, stress, and sleep in three weeks
Published Feb 21, 2025
Methods
111 healthy university students who used their smartphones at least 3 hours a day (average just over 4.5 hours) were randomly assigned to either cut smartphone use to 2 hours a day for three weeks, or continue their normal use. Researchers measured depressive symptoms, wellbeing, stress, and sleep quality by questionnaire before, immediately after, and six weeks later.
Findings
Compared with the control group, the smartphone-reduction group showed a 27% drop in depressive symptoms, a 14% increase in wellbeing, a 16% reduction in stress, and an 18% improvement in sleep quality by the end of the three weeks. Effects were larger in participants who stuck closely to the 2-hour target.
Caveats & Context
This is a small trial in healthy university students, using self-reported outcomes only, and was not blinded — participants knew which group they were in, which can inflate self-reported improvement. Many participants did not fully stick to the assigned limit, and a number dropped out by the six-week follow-up, so it does not show how durable the effect is or how it would play out in a more representative population.
Smartphone screen time reduction improves mental health: a randomized controlled trial
BMC Medicine · doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-03944-z