Can a phone app stop kids from getting sunburned?
NCT ID NCT07204704
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This completed study tested a smartphone app that gave parents and kids real-time tips on sun protection. 78 families with children aged 8-17 took part. The goal was to see if the app could help kids use more sunscreen and protective clothing and get fewer sunburns.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this approach could lead to better ways to help families protect children from sun damage and reduce skin cancer risk.
- What could go wrong
- This was a small pilot study with only 78 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The intervention relied on self-reports, which can be inaccurate.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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78 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jul 2024
- Finished
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Sep 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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8 to 17 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: Parents: * are at least 18 years old * have at least one child between the ages of 8-17 who is living in the same household * are the primary caregiver for the child participating in the study (defined as the individual who is responsible for daily implementation of health-related tasks for the child) * have and are able to use a smartphone * are willing to download and use a free smartphone app that will share their participating child's ultraviolet radiation exposure data with the research team. Children: * are 8 to 17 years old * with a primary caretaker in Utah * have no previous diagnosis of skin cancer * have had a sunburn in the past year * have used sunscreen and one other sun protection behavior never/rarely/sometimes in the past month (protective clothing items, shade when outdoors) * are willing to wear a sensor (on their wrist or attached to their clothing) that collects data on ultraviolet radiation (UV) exposure Exclusion Criteria: Parents and Children: * Do not speak, read/write English * Have a pacemaker
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Utah Department of Dermatology
Salt Lake City, Utah, 84132, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can a workplace campaign shade outdoor workers from skin cancer?
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