British teenagers who participated in a government-backed trial restricting social media use experienced better sleep, improved concentration and enhanced wellbeing, according to a study released on Tuesday.
The research found that completely removing social media applications produced the strongest improvements in attention and focus.
However, teenagers who adopted the approach also reported greater social disruption and increased feelings of isolation from friends.
An overnight social media curfew, which restricted access between 9pm and 7am, emerged as the easiest measure for families to enforce and consistently produced the strongest improvements in sleep quality.
The study also revealed that many teenagers were able to bypass restrictions by switching to tablets, laptops and older mobile phones.
Participants said broader age-based restrictions could also be avoided through the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) and false age declarations.
The trial, commissioned by the UK government, involved 309 households with teenagers aged between 13 and 17.
Participants were assigned to one of three month-long interventions: limiting social media use to 15 minutes per app daily, observing a nightly social media curfew, or removing social media applications completely from their devices.
Researchers found that all three approaches led to reported improvements in sleep, mood, concentration, study habits and family relationships during the trial period.
The 15-minute daily limit recorded the lowest compliance rate, with many teenagers describing it as difficult to maintain because it often interrupted conversations and communication with friends.
Several participants also reported feeling socially disconnected during the trial, particularly those who depended on Snapchat as their main way of keeping in touch with friends.
The teenagers suggested that future social media restrictions should consider age and maturity levels, arguing that older adolescents should have greater independence in managing their online activities.
