NCT06353451

Digital Detox Study: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Completed NA Last updated 9 April 2024

What this trial tests

NA trial testing Digital Detox in Health Behavior in 111 participants. Completed in 21 January 2024.

Timeline

23 October 2023

Primary endpoint
21 January 2024

21 January 2024

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	Danube University Krems
Phase	NA
Status	Completed
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	parallel
Masking	none
Primary purpose	prevention
Enrollment	111
Start date	23 October 2023
Primary completion	21 January 2024
Estimated completion	21 January 2024
Sites	1 location across Austria

Drugs / interventions tested

• Digital Detox

Conditions studied

• Health Behavior — all drugs for Health Behavior →

Sponsor

Danube University Krems

Who can join

Adults 18 to 29, any sex, with Health Behavior. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

The aim of the present RCT is to investigate the effect of smartphone screen time reduction on mental health indicators in healthy, 18-29 yo Austrian students.

After inclusion and randomization to intervention- and control group, normal screen time behavior will be assessed for 10-days. After that, the mental health parameters will be carried out in both groups as a baseline survey (T0). After that, intervention group should limit smartphone screen time to less than 2 hours per day for three consecutive weeks. Control group should use smartphones as usual. After that, mental health parameters will be assessed again in both groups (post-intervention, T1). After T1, there are no further requirements regarding screen time. Mental health parameters will be assessed again in both groups at follow-up (T2).

Main outcome parameters are 1) Well-Being (WHO-5), depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), stress (PSQ-20), and sleep quality (ISI).

The primary hypothesis (stated at Open Science Framework before Enrollment: https://osf.io/a9k76) is that mental health indicators, particularly stress, depressive symptoms, and sleep quality will improve throughout the intervention compared to the control group as well as to baseline.

Publications & conference data

2 peer-reviewed publications reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. The influence of smartphone reduction on heart rate variability: a secondary analysis from a randomised controlled trial.
   Dale R, Haider K, Majdandžić J, Hoenigl A, et al · · 2025 · cited 1× · PMID 40831581 · DOI 10.1080/21642850.2025.2546376
2. The influence of smartphone reduction on heart rate variability: a secondary analysis from a randomised controlled trial.
   Dale R, Haider K, Majdandžić J, Hoenigl A, et al · · 2025 · DOI 10.31234/osf.io/s7khc_v1