University of Bath researchers are joining a new government-commissioned research project, which will lay the groundwork for future studies into the impact on children of smartphone and social media use, and help to direct future government action.

The project – led by a team at the University of Cambridge, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Bath and other leading UK universities – is aimed at improving policymakers’ understanding of the relationship between children’s wellbeing and smartphone use, including social media and messaging.

A review by the UK Chief Medical Officer in 2019 found the evidence base around the links to children’s mental health was insufficient to provide strong conclusions suitable to inform policy

Professors Adam Joinson and David Ellis, from the University of Bath’s {Institute for Digital Security and Behaviours}(https://www.idsb.ac.uk/) will lead the research.

“New technologies are changing the way we conduct research and the way we live in the digital age. At Bath, many researchers focus on the impacts of social media and smartphones. We are therefore delighted to be a part of this vitally important work that will support evidence-based policy,” Professor Ellis said.

“While some counties aim to limit the use of specific social media platforms and others plan to ban social media completely for those under 16, there is little evidence to suggest how these will work or positively impact the population at large. Our aim will be to carefully consider the evidence to ensure that government decisions in the UK are based on the best evidence available,” he added.

Project lead Dr Amy Orben from the Medical Research Council Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit (MRC CBU) at the University of Cambridge said: “There is huge concern about the impact of smartphone use on children's health, but the evidence base remains fairly limited. While the government is under substantial time pressure to make decisions, these will undoubtedly be better if based on improved evidence.

“This is a complex and rapidly evolving issue, with both potential harms and benefits associated with smartphone use. Technology is changing by the day, and scientific evidence creation needs to evolve and innovate to keep up. Our focus will be on deepening our causal understanding of the effects of new technologies, particularly over short timescales, to ensure that decisions are informed, timely and evidence-based,” Dr Orben said.

The Project Delivery Team, with members from the Universities of Bath, Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Manchester, Nottingham, Oxford and York and the London School of Economics, will aim to identify which research methods and data sources will be most effective at identifying potential causal relationships between social media, smartphones, and the health and development of children and young people.

The researchers will review and summarise existing research on the impact of smartphones and social media on children and young people’s mental health, wellbeing, physical health, lifestyle and health behaviours, and educational attainment. The review will recognise the diversity of perspectives that exist in this area and consider where further research could add valuable new insights to the evidence base.

They will assess the various methods and data available to understand the causal impacts, including recognising that online habits and emerging technologies are changing at a rapid pace, and considering how the experiences of vulnerable children and young people – for example, LGBTQ+ young people and those with special needs or mental health issues – can be captured in future research projects.

This will allow the team to recommend and outline how future research studies could deliver robust and causal evidence on the impact of smartphones and social media on child development factors in the next two to three years.

Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Peter Kyle said: "The online world offers immense opportunities for young people to connect and learn. Ensuring they can do so in an environment which puts their safety first is my priority and will guide this government’s action on online safety. That’s why we have launched new research, led by the University of Cambridge with support from other top UK universities, to better understand the complex relationship between technology and young people's wellbeing.”