Anxiety SymptomsNCT07827703
Effects of Digital Detox on Mental Health in Young Adults
A study testing App-based smartphone screen time restriction program in people with Anxiety Symptoms and Screen Time, run by University of Bergen at 1 site in Norway.
Trial summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether a short, self-guided program for cutting down smartphone screen time can reduce symptoms of depression in young adults. It includes students in Oslo, Norway, who have applied for help at the student mental health service (SiO Mental Health). Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Anxiety Symptoms, Screen Time, Depressive Symptoms
- What is being tested?
- App-based smartphone screen time restriction program
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 200 participants
- Where
- 1 siteNorway
- Study dates
- 21 Sep 2026to Aug 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Has applied for care at SiO Mental Health, the student mental health service in Oslo, and has received the service's response to the application
- Owns an iPhone (the screen time restriction tool requires iOS)
- Able to understand written Norwegian
- Provides informed consent
Who cannot join
- None
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Norway1 site
Studentsamskipnaden i Oslo
Oslo
Thomas Mildestvedt, Professor, +47 55586163, thomas.mildestvedt@uib.no
About this study
Official title: Effects of Digital Detox on Mental Health in Young Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether a short, self-guided program for cutting down smartphone screen time can reduce symptoms of depression in young adults. It includes students in Oslo, Norway, who have applied for help at the student mental health service (SiO Mental Health).
The main questions it aims to answer are:
Read more
- Does a 2-week screen time reduction program reduce symptoms of depression?
- Does it reduce symptoms of anxiety?
- Can a simple, widely available phone app reduce screen time, and does the reduction last?
Researchers will compare students who start the program right away with students who continue their usual care for 2 weeks and receive the same program afterwards. Participants are placed in one of the two groups by chance, like flipping a coin.
Participants will:
- Answer questionnaires about depression and anxiety symptoms at the start and again after 2 weeks
- Upload screenshots of the Screen Time summary on their iPhone at the start, after 2 weeks, and after 12 weeks
- Install an app that blocks the apps they find most distracting and keep it active for 2 weeks, if they are placed in the program group
- Take part entirely online, with no clinic visits and no contact with the study team
- Conditions
- Anxiety Symptoms, Screen Time, Depressive Symptoms
- Being tested
- App-based smartphone screen time restriction program
- Medical subject headings
- Anxiety Disorders, Depression
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
App-based smartphone screen time restriction programBehavioural
Two-week self-guided use of an iOS screen time restriction app. Participants block their most distracting apps, with notifications disabled. Unlocking requires a 30-second delay, allows 10 minutes of access, then a 5-minute cooldown.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Screen time reduction | Experimental | Not described Receives: Behavioral: App-based smartphone screen time restriction program |
| Care as usual | No intervention | Not described |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Symptoms of depression (PHQ-9)
Patient Health Questionnaire-9, range 0 to 27, higher scores indicate more depressive symptoms.
Measured: From enrollment to the end of intervention at 2 weeks
Secondary outcomes (4)
Symptoms of anxiety (GAD-7)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, range 0 to 21, higher scores indicate more anxiety symptoms.
Measured: From enrollment to the end of intervention at 2 weeks
Total smartphone screen time
Measured: 2 weeks and 12 weeks after randomization
Smartphone screen time by app category
Measured: 2 weeks and 12 weeks after randomization
Number of daily smartphone pickups
Measured: 2 weeks and 12 weeks after randomization
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted18 Sep 2026
- Study start21 Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completionMay 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionAug 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Anxiety SymptomsStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 200 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Bergen
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Studentsamskipnaden i Oslo (SiO)
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Thomas Mildestvedt, Professor, Principal investigator, University of Bergen
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07827703
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 1000700
- Status last verified
- Sep 2026
- First submitted
- 14 Sep 2026
- Last updated
- 23 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Anonymized individual participant data underlying the published results.