Smartphone Bans, Student Outcomes and Mental Health

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Overview

Paper Summary

Conflicts of Interest

Identified Weaknesses

Rating Explanation

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Paper Summary

Paperzilla title

No Phones, Happier Girls? (But Mostly If They're From Poorer Families)

This study from Norway finds that banning smartphones in middle school improves girls' mental health (fewer consultations for psychological issues), reduces bullying for both genders, and boosts girls' GPAs and math scores, especially for those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. The effects are concentrated among girls and those attending schools with strict phone bans.

Possible Conflicts of Interest

None identified

Identified Weaknesses

Limited generalizability

The study focuses on Norwegian middle schools, which may have different school cultures and student demographics than other countries. The results might not apply everywhere.

Focus on short-term outcomes

The paper primarily examines short-term outcomes like GPA and mental health consultations. It doesn't follow students long-term to see if the bans have lasting effects on educational attainment or careers.

Potential for unobserved confounders

While the author tries to control for school differences, there might be other factors besides phone bans (like school culture or teaching quality) that affect both phone policies and student outcomes.

Rating Explanation

This is a well-executed quasi-experimental study using a large administrative dataset. The author employs a robust event-study design and addresses potential confounders, increasing the credibility of the causal claims. The focus on mental health, bullying, and socioeconomic heterogeneity makes the findings particularly valuable. The limited generalizability and lack of long-term follow-up are the main limitations, preventing a perfect score.

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