PeerScreen Trial - Reducing Screen Media Use in Peer-groups of Young People

NCT07531290 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: S-20250078
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 240
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The purpose of the PeerScreen trial is to investigate whether reducing screen media use affects mental health, social interaction, sleep, physical activity, heart rate variability, and behavioral patterns in young people aged 13 to 24 years. The primary question the trial aims to answer is: Does reducing screen media use over a 4-week period improve mental health among young people? Researchers will compare a screen media reduction intervention with a control condition in which participants continue their usual screen media use to determine whether reducing screen media use leads to improvements in mental health. Participants will:

• be allocated to either a 4-week screen media reduction intervention or a control condition
• complete a study protocol including questionnaire-based assessments, daily self-reports, and objective monitoring of screen media use, sleep, physical activity, heart rate variability, social interactions, and geolocation

Conditions

Mental Health; Social Interaction; Sleep; Physical Activity; Stress

Keywords

digital media use; screen time; adolescent; youth; young adult; mental health; social interaction; behavioral pattern; screen media use; heart rate variability; sleep; physical activity; well being; peer group; interpersonal synchrony

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in mental wellbeing on the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS)

  Self-reported mental well-being assessed as change in total score on the 14-item Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS). Total scores range from 14 to 70 points. Higher scores indicate better mental well-being.

  From baseline (day 1) to post-intervention (day 42).

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Change in total weekly duration of face-to-face social interaction with peer-group members measured by Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon proximity events

  From the 14-day baseline period before randomization to the final 21 days of the 4-week intervention period

• Change in average weekly frequency of self-reported face-to-face social interactions with non-household, non-peer individuals

  From the 14-day baseline period before randomization to the final 21 days of the 4-week intervention period

• Change in average nightly total sleep time measured by Garmin Venu 4

  From the 14-day baseline period before randomization to the final 21 days of the 4-week intervention period.

• Change in average daily step count measured by Garmin Venu 4

  From the 14-day baseline period before randomization to the final 21 days of the 4-week intervention period

Other Outcomes (15)

• Change in average nocturnal heart rate variability measured by Garmin Venu 4 (root mean square of successive differences)

  From the 14-day baseline period before randomization to the final 21 days of the 4-week intervention period.

• Change in average nightly Garmin Sleep Score measured by Garmin Venu 4

  From the 14-day baseline period before randomization to the final 21 days of the 4-week intervention period

• Change in average daily minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity measured by Garmin Venu 4

  From the 14-day baseline period before randomization to the final 21 days of the 4-week intervention period.

Study Arms (2)

Screen media reduction

EXPERIMENTAL

Peer groups randomized to the intervention will undergo a four-week screen media reduction.

Behavioral: Screen media reduction

Usual screen media use (control)

NO INTERVENTION

Participants allocated to the control group will be asked not to change their use of screen media devices and continue with their usual screen media behaviors. At the randomization meeting, if a peer group is allocated to the control condition, a researcher will explain the importance of the control group for ensuring the validity of the trial, with the aim of keeping these groups motivated and engaged. Participants in the control group will be offered the screen media reduction intervention after completing the long-term follow-up. Accordingly, they will function as a waitlist control group, although no outcome data will be collected during their subsequent intervention period.

Interventions

Screen media reduction BEHAVIORAL

Participants will reduce their recreational screen media use across devices. For smartphone use, participants will be asked to reduce their use to a maximum of 1 hour/day. Because social media use will not be permitted on computers or tablets during the intervention, this limit will also encompass participants' social media use. Research staff will help each participant set up smartphone app limits for the ten most used social media and gaming applications, add a widget to their home screen showing the current amount of time they have spent on their phone, and turn off non-essential notifications. For television, computer and tablet use, participants will reduce their use to 14 hours/week (with no specific daily limit), but social media use is not allowed on these devices. We will recommend participants to particularly reduce their solitary screen media use. Participants will be asked to keep their devices outside the bedroom, and they will be provided with a free alarm clock.

Screen media reduction

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 13 Years - 24 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Participants must have at least 2 hours/day of self-reported smartphone use during leisure time (data from the survey study)
• Members of each participant's household must be willing to support the participant in adhering to the prescribed intervention (data from recruitment interview)
• Participants must have enough discretionary leisure time for possible in-person activities on a weekly basis throughout the study period (verified at the information meeting)

You may not qualify if:

• Participants with no smartphone will be excluded (data from recruitment interview)
• Participants with no social media profiles will be excluded (data from recruitment interview)
• Participants who currently participate in other experimental studies will be excluded (data from recruitment interview)
• Participants who have been hospitalized or prescribed sick leave within the past 3 months due to a mental illness will be excluded (data from recruitment interview)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Southern Denmark: lead

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Psychological Well-Being; Motor Activity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Personal Satisfaction; Behavior

Study Officials

• Anders Grøntved, PhD

  University of Southern Denmark

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Jesper Schmidt-Persson, PhD

CONTACT

+4565502054; jespedersen@health.sdu.dk

Anne K Gejl, PhD

CONTACT

+4565507908; akgejl@health.sdu.dk

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 26, 2026
• First Posted: April 15, 2026
• Study Start: April 15, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2027
• Last Updated: April 15, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF, ANALYTIC CODE
• Access Criteria: Researchers will be asked to write a proposal described how data will be used. They will be able to access data by writing an email to the corresponding author.