Swiped: The School That Banned Smartphones | Preview (Channel 4)

Swiped: The School that Banned Smartphones, a landmark two-part documentary series, produced by BOLDPRINT Studios, which will tackle the timely issue of the impact of smartphones on children’s behaviour with a pioneering social experiment.

Hosts Matt and Emma Willis will join forces with The Stanway School in Colchester and challenge a group of Year 8 pupils – and themselves – to give up their smartphones completely for 21 days.

This experiment, conducted in conjunction with The University of York, will see the pupils undergo a series of tests with experts meticulously monitoring their behavioural changes over the 21 days, repeating the tests at the end of the three weeks to conclude what effects giving up your phone really does have on your brain including sleep and attention.

The tests will include a series of cognitive tasks, testing attention, reaction times and memory. They will also participate in questionnaires covering sleep, anxiety, depression, mood, stress, loneliness, enjoyment and social connectedness.

Alongside Dr Rangan Chatterjee, – medical doctor, author, television presenter and podcaster - they will meet other experts, scientists, campaigners and politicians to uncover the deep-rooted effects of smartphone use.

At the end of the experiment, how will the group’s relationship with their smartphones change and could the findings be the catalyst for the Government to enact a select committee suggested nationwide ban on smartphones for children under 14 or 16?

Emma and Matt Willis say: “Our lives these days revolve around our smartphones, and the thought of three weeks without them is quite honestly daunting, yet fascinating. The statistics on children’s smartphone use are beyond worrying so the time feels absolutely right for the issue to be addressed. We're intrigued by the results of the experiment and hope it can spark change and have a lasting and positive impact on everyone.”

Swiped: The School that Banned Smartphones is a 2 x 60 series commission for Channel 4 and begins Wednesday 11th December at 8pm.