Thousands of UK teenagers take part in social media study

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Watch: How do some of the children taking part in the trial feel about it?

A big study to monitor the impact of social media on teenagers' lives is taking place in Bradford.

Four thousand pupils from secondary schools across the city will take part.

Some students will use a smartphone app that limits how long they can use social media each day, while others will carry on as normal.

Researchers hope the results will help scientists understand how social media affects young people, and could help the government decide how to introduce its planned ban on social media for under-16s in the UK.

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How these children reacted to the social media ban

The study is called the IRL Trial, which stands for In Real Life and is being carried out by the Bradford Centre for Health Data Science and the University of Cambridge.

It is thought to be the world's first major scientific study looking at whether reducing teenagers' social media use can improve their mental health and wellbeing.

Some pupils will use a special app on their smartphones which limits their social media use during the day, and blocks all social media use at night.

However, messaging apps such as WhatsApp will not be restricted, so teenagers can still use them to keep in touch with friends and family.

Other pupils taking part will be able to use social media everyday, as they usually would.

At the start and end of the six-week period, all the teenagers involved in the trial will be asked to fill in short questionnaires about how they are feeling.

This will cover things like anxiety, sleep, body image and school life.

Image source, Getty ImagesSome pupils taking part are looking forward to spending less time on their phones.

12-year-old Dawson said he spends around two hours a day on social media and he hoped the trial would help him "make stronger relationships" because he won't be on my phone as much.

"I feel like I spend too much on it and I don't think I focus on the things I should."

But other teenagers are worried about missing out on talking to their friends online.

12-year-old Hannah said it could be sad if they were only allowed two hours of social media a day, while 12-year-old Louis thought the first couple of weeks could be difficult, although he added that "over time we should get used to it."

Teachers have also said that young people should get the chance to share their opinions on the impact a ban might have for them.

Rachel Garlick, Head of Secondary at Appleton Academy, explained: "It's really important we allow them to have that voice.

"They rely on social media such a lot for all their communication with each other."

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Watch: BBC Cyber Correspondent Joe Tidy explains what the social media ban for under-16s could mean for you

The results are expected next year and could help inform the government's plans to introduce a social media ban for under-16s by spring 2027.

The government has said it wants to improve children's safety online, however some people are concerned about how a ban would work and how it might affect young people's friendships.

Some politicians from other parties, charities and campaigners have supported the idea of the ban, but not all, and many have also said that it will be important to study the detail of the government's plan and how it'll actually work in practice.

Researchers hope the results from the trial could help decision-makers understand which approaches could work best for teenagers.