Phone check: daily Screen-Time diaries may boost Self-Awareness
NCT ID NCT07511374
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a simple daily routine—uploading a screenshot of your screen time and answering a few reflection questions—can help young adults become more aware of their recreational device use and improve their stress and life satisfaction. Researchers will enroll 240 people aged 18–25 who spend at least 3 hours per day on recreational screen time. Half will do the daily reflection for several weeks, while the other half serves as a control group.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Ecological momentary intervention combining behavioral self-monitoring and metacognitive reflection
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could point toward simple daily habits that help people manage screen time and reduce stress.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with no health outcomes—only self-reported and device-tracked data. Results may not apply broadly.
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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About 240 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Mar 2026
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- 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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18 to 25 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: Participants must meet all of the following criteria: 1. Age between 18 and 25 years old. 2. Own and regularly use a smartphone. 3. Report an average daily recreational screen time of at least 3 hours on weekdays or 4 hours on weekends, based on self-report (Zablotsky et al., 2025). 4. Be able to access their device's built-in screen time tracking function (or equivalent system-level usage report) and upload screenshots when required. 5. Be willing and able to complete daily surveys throughout the full study period. 6. Indicate motivation to reduce or regulate their recreational screen use. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Outside the age range of 18-25 years. 2. Do not own a smartphone or do not use it regularly. 3. Report average daily recreational screen time below 3 hours on weekdays and below 4 hours on weekends. 4. Are unable to access device-based screen time tracking functions or cannot provide valid screenshots when required. 5. Are unwilling or unable to complete daily surveys across the study period (e.g., anticipated non-compliance, scheduling constraints). 6. Do not express motivation to reduce or regulate their recreational screen use.
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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The Hong Kong Polythechnic University
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