Health Technology/clinical-trials

PeerScreen Trial Opens: Screen Media Reduction vs Usual Use in Young People — Mental Health Outcomes Under Investigation

247 Health News Editorial

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16 Apr 2026

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4 min read

·clinical-trials

The PeerScreen trial investigates whether reducing screen media use improves mental health in young people aged 13-24 years. This cluster-randomised controlled trial compares 4-week screen reduction intervention with usual use patterns, measuring outcomes via the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale.

Originally reported by ClinicalTrials.gov

References

  1. 1.Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2023). Australia's children: Screen time and physical activity. AIHW Report. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/children-youth/australias-children/contents/health/screen-time-and-physical-activity
  2. 2.Hale, L., & Guan, S. (2015). Screen time and sleep among school-aged children and adolescents: a systematic literature review. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 21, 50-58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2014.07.007
  3. 3.Hunt, M. G., Marx, R., Lipson, C., & Young, J. (2018). No more FOMO: Limiting social media decreases loneliness and depression. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 37(10), 751-768. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2018.37.10.751
  4. 4.Nesi, J., Choukas-Bradley, S., & Prinstein, M. J. (2018). Transformation of adolescent peer relations in the social media context: Part 1—A theoretical framework and application to dyadic peer relationships. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 21(3), 267-294. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-018-0261-x
  5. 5.Orben, A., & Przybylski, A. K. (2019). The association between adolescent well-being and digital technology use. Nature Human Behaviour, 3(2), 173-182. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-018-0506-1
  6. 6.Productivity Commission. (2020). Mental Health: Productivity Commission Inquiry Report. Australian Government. https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/completed/mental-health/report
  7. 7.Tennant, R., Hiller, L., Fishwick, R., Platt, S., Joseph, S., Weich, S., ... & Stewart-Brown, S. (2007). The Warwick-Edinburgh mental well-being scale (WEMWBS): development and UK validation. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 5(1), 63. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7525-5-63
  8. 8.Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2018). Associations between screen time and lower psychological well-being among children and adolescents: Evidence from a large-scale cross-sectional study. Psychological Science, 29(9), 1469-1480. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797618807830
  9. 9.University of Southern Denmark. (2024). Effects of Reducing Screen Media Use on Mental Health, Sleep, Physical Activity, Heart Rate Variability, and Behavioral Patterns in Peer-groups of Young People: A Study Protocol for a Cluster-randomized Controlled Trial. ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT07531290. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07531290
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