UK teens try five-day tech-free bedrooms, report better sleep and mixed habits

A group of teenagers in Bradford removed phones, tablets and gaming consoles from their bedrooms for five days as part of this year’s Teen Summit project, and reported improved sleep, changed evening routines and mixed longer-term habits.

The experiment, run by Radio 5 Live and BBC Bitesize Study Support, asked pupils to keep all personal technology in communal areas of the house rather than in private bedrooms. Thirteen-year-old Elizabeth and 13-year-old Henry were among four students followed during the trial to record their experiences and its effects on wellbeing and family life.

Participants said the absence of in-room devices reduced late-night screen use and overnight notifications. Henry, who normally games with friends into the small hours, said he has slept much better since the trial and that improved rest has helped his performance at school. He stored his PlayStation in a cupboard at the start of the week to avoid temptation, although it was moved to the living room after a few hours. Elizabeth, who typically spends hours after school in her bedroom watching YouTube, spent evenings researching ballet lessons and baking.

Parents reported changes in household interaction and routines. Henry’s mother, Alyson, said moving gaming to shared spaces opened conversations between them because he had to be more mindful about voice chat. Elizabeth’s parents said she was more likely to choose family TV programming and other activities than retreating to her phone or laptop.

By the end of the week some participants returned personal devices to their rooms, but several said they intended to keep new rules such as leaving phones outside the bedroom at night. Henry removed a ‘tech-free zone’ sign from his door at the trial’s close and moved his PlayStation back to his desk, but said he will continue to keep his phone outside his bedroom overnight because it helped his sleep. Elizabeth’s father conceded he lost a bet when his daughter lasted the five days and awarded her sweets.

An online survey of 2,224 13- to 18-year-olds, carried out for the Teen Summit by Survation, found that more than a third of teenagers reported spending five or more hours on their phones on an average day. The poll also found that 38 percent of self-identified gamers spend seven or more hours a week gaming in their bedrooms and that 39 percent of respondents would consider removing tech from their bedrooms to cut device time. The survey suggested that only a quarter of parents set clear limits on their children’s tech, while 27 percent of teenagers said their parents set no limits at all.

Experts said the changes observed during the trial were expected. Dr. Kaitlyn Regehr, an associate professor in digital humanities at University College London, said late-night notifications and blue light from screens can disrupt adolescent sleep and that removing devices from bedrooms should improve rest. She recommended parents perform basic safety checks on gaming, such as ensuring teens know who they are playing with, disabling geo-location where appropriate and confirming game themes are age-appropriate.

The trial coincides with incoming provisions of the Online Safety Act, due to take effect in July, which aim to strengthen protections for children online. Children’s commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza welcomed the legislation but urged parents to set household boundaries such as phone-free times and unplugging before bed to support better sleep and wellbeing.

Technology companies told the BBC they provide tools intended to help families manage screen time. TikTok pointed to its Family Pairing tool and prompts for users under 16 after 10 p.m.; Meta said it has teen account settings that enable sleep mode and reminders; Snapchat referred to its UK parent guide on screen time recommendations; and YouTube highlighted parental controls and prominent Take a Break and Bedtime reminders.

Not all teens found the experiment straightforward. Some said they struggled for privacy and to find quiet places to talk to friends, and one participant reported almost abandoning the challenge several times. One of the four teenagers read only a short portion of the book she had planned to finish during the week. The trial underscored the social role of online gaming: for some teens, the main value of gaming was the social interaction rather than the gameplay itself.

As the week ended, families and teenagers described a mix of lasting change and reversion. Several planned to retain specific practices, particularly leaving phones out of bedrooms overnight, while acknowledging that full, permanent removal of devices from private spaces is unlikely for many households. The Teen Summit project aimed to prompt reflection on daily tech use and to encourage practical steps parents and young people can take to protect sleep and wellbeing.