loading
loading
NIH grant 1R01CE003886-01: Estimating the Impact of School Cellphone Restriction Policies on Youth Suicide and Interpersonal Violence
Institute: {'code': 'CE', 'abbreviation': 'NCIPC', 'name': 'National Center for Injury Prevention and Control', 'admin_org_id': '12501083', 'admin_funding_url': ''}. PI: Bennett Allen. Award: $399997.
Start: 2026-09-30T00:00:00.
PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Suicide and interpersonal violence are urgent and interconnected public health crises in the United States (US),
disproportionately affecting youth and young adults ages 10-24. Increasing smartphone use during the school
day has raised concerns about distraction, cyberbullying, peer conflict, school connectedness, and student
safety, with hypothesized downstream effects of problematic smartphone use on youth suicidal thoughts and
behaviors (STB) and interpersonal violence. In response to the potential adverse effects of smartphone use, a
growing number of states have implemented policies restricting student cellphone use during the school day.
These school cellphone restriction policies (SCRPs) vary widely in scope—from partial restrictions (e.g.,
classroom-only bans) to comprehensive bans (i.e., “bell-to-bell” restrictions)—and are being adopted rapidly
across the US. Although SCRPs have generated substantial national momentum, their population health effects
remain poorly understood. There is limited evidence on whether SCRPs improve youth mental health and safety
outcomes, whether more comprehensive policies are more effective than partial restrictions, and how
implementation decisions shape intended and unintended consequences across school communities. We will
triangulate administrative and primary data to estimate the effects of SCRPs and identify the conditions under
which they are most likely to improve youth STB and interpersonal violence. Aim 1 will estimate whether state-
level SCRPs cause changes in youth STB and interpersonal violence using national electronic health record
data, youth survey data, and mortality and crime surveillance data with a staggered adoption difference-in-
differences approach. Aim 2 will examine heterogeneity in the effects of the New York State (NYS) SCRP across
urban, suburban, and rural districts and by district-level policy design and implementation, including device
storage, enforcement, and staff training using a synthetic control approach. Aim 3 will assess how district- and
school-level policy implementation shapes policy effects in NYS using in-depth qualitative interviews with current
and former students and focus groups with school administrators and mental health professionals. This
innovative, mixed-methods research is directly responsive to CDC’s Suicide and Violence Prevention Research
Priorities to evaluate the effectiveness of innovative approaches to prevent youth suicide and interpersonal
violence. This research is directly responsive to Objective 1 of the current NOFO through its focus on the
evaluation of an innovative but understudied approach to prevent suicide and interpersonal violence with the
potential for immediate benefit after implementation. In sum, by generating critical evidence about SCRPs, this
project has the potential to reduce youth STB and interpersonal violence and optimize the design and scaling of
state- and district-level SCRPs. The multidisciplinary investigator team will work with a Community Advisory
Board to maximize the impact and reach of the research.document fetched 2026-10-14 02:50