A unique study by University of Victoria researchers is looking at the impact of smartphones on childrenB次元官网网址檚 lives.

Education faculty member Sam Liu and Social Sciences faculty member Ulrich Mueller teamed up to examine the use of smartphones by middle and high school students, who routinely use mobile apps for such social vehicles as Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook and others.

The researchers recognized the place those platforms have in youthsB次元官网网址� lives, but wanted to paint a clearer picture of the overall impact on their well-being. In other words, whatB次元官网网址檚 the impact on their attention span, school grades, friendships and leisure activities?

B次元官网网址淲e want to know how cell phone use impacts childrenB次元官网网址檚 sleep patterns, friendships, exercise and emotional well-being,B次元官网网址� said Mueller in a release. B次元官网网址淭here is some research suggesting that up to two hours of smart phone use daily is actually good for children and itB次元官网网址檚 only prolonged periods of time that are detrimental. However, there is really not enough data to draw firm conclusions.B次元官网网址�

Mueller is researching the effects of outdoor play on social and mental child development.

Liu, who jointly created a questionnaire for parents and students to join the study, pointed out that schools are working with various cellphone policies B次元官网网址� from complete bans to embracing it in classroom learning B次元官网网址� to attempt to have a positive effect on studentsB次元官网网址� habits.

B次元官网网址淭he questionnaire we developed will help us inform best practices for cellphone use in schools,B次元官网网址� Lie said.

To complete the questionnaire, parents and students can go to or to , and .