Banning phones in schools doesn't actually do anything for mental health or bullying—it’s basically just a rule for the sake of rules.
March 20, 2026
Original Paper
Adolescent Mental Health Outcomes and Screen Use before and after School Phone Restrictions in Iceland: A Population-Based Difference-In-Differences Analysis
SSRN · 6437358
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The Takeaway
Despite the global movement to ban phones in schools to save 'the anxious generation,' a large-scale study in Iceland found that these bans didn't actually improve mental health or reduce cyberbullying. It suggests the 'smartphone problem' isn't something that can be fixed simply by locking devices away during school hours.
From the abstract
Background: Concerns about smartphone use and adolescent mental health have led some schools to implement bans, but evidence of their effectiveness is limited. We examined whether school-wide phone bans were associated with changes in mental health, peer support, screen use, and (cyber)bullying among adolescents in Iceland. <br><br>Methods: We analysed population-based survey data from adolescents aged 13–15 years collected in 2016, 2018, and 2023 (23,938 observations across 70 schools; 22 ado