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Smartphone Bans, Student Outcomes and Mental Health

Sara Abrahamsson

Journal of Human Resources2026https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.0224-13403r2article
AJG 3ABDC A*
Weight
0.50

Abstract

The rapid rise in smartphone use among youth has raised concerns about its effects on well-being and learning. Using administrative and survey data with an event-study design, I show that banning smartphones in middle schools has no average effect on education or mental health but masks important gender differences. Bans reduce psychological health care use among girls, lower bullying for both genders, and improve girls’ GPAs and academic track placement, especially among those from disadvantaged backgrounds. These results suggest smartphone bans can be a low-cost policy to improve outcomes, particularly for girls.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.0224-13403r2

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@article{sara2026,
  title        = {{Smartphone Bans, Student Outcomes and Mental Health}},
  author       = {Sara Abrahamsson},
  journal      = {Journal of Human Resources},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.0224-13403r2},
}

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Smartphone Bans, Student Outcomes and Mental Health

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.