Hundreds of British teenagers are set to take part in a trial to find out how effective a ban or restrictions on social media would be.
The six-week pilot will see 300 people aged 13 to 17 try out different restrictions – from time limits to curfews to an all-out ban.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) will measure the effects it has on their schoolwork, sleep and family life.
It comes as the government’s consultation on a potential Australia-style social media ban is set to conclude on 26 May.
Parents will be split into four groups and told how to implement social media limits on their children’s phones.
One set of parents will be given instruction on how to use controls to remove or prevent access to selected social media apps, mirroring the effects of a social media ban.
Another group will have a one-hour-per-day limit on the most popular social media apps, including TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram.
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A third group will have social media access blocked between 9pm and 7am, and the final group will give teenagers the same access to social media as they have currently.
Families taking part will be interviewed at the start and the end of the trial to see how the ban or limits imposed impacted them, and any difficulties they faced.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: “We are determined to give young people the childhood they deserve and to prepare them for the future.
“This is why we are listening to parents, children and experts with our consultation, as well as testing different options in the real world.
“These pilots will give us the evidence we need to take the next steps.”
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The consultation on social media, which opened at the beginning of March, has already received nearly 30,000 responses, the DSIT said.
A separate study led by University of Cambridge psychologist Professor Amy Orben and Bradford Institute for Health Research will also recruit about 4,000 pupils aged 12 to 15 from 10 Bradford schools to trial the impact of reducing social media.
The study will measure how cutting social media time impacts wellbeing, body image, school absence, bullying, time spent with friends and family, anxiety and sleep quality.
