“On average, they were falling asleep 20 minutes faster than before the ban, and reported getting a full hour of extra rest each night.”
Year 8 pupils at one Colchester school gave up smartphones for 21 days and went to bed 50 minutes earlier. Depression-related feelings dropped 17% and anxiety 18%. Working memory rose 3% and attention did not move at all. The study was built for a Channel 4 reality show hosted by Matt and Emma Willis, and it lands just as ministers are weighing bans. The sleep result is real. The rest is television.