SCAMP - Study of Cognition, Adolescents and Mobile Phones

This project is a collaboration with Imperial College, London, UK. The official project website is www.scampstudy.org

The Study of Cognition, Adolescents and Mobile Phones (SCAMP) is the largest study in the world looking specifically at the impact of mobile phones and social media on young people’s physical and mental health, and brain function. 

Mental health issues impact people of all ages, backgrounds and class. They often develop during adolescence, which we carry into our adult lives. This is a burden on us as individuals and wider society. Understanding what the key causes of mental health issues are, means we can look into how to improve mental health in young people and adults. 

No single study has been able to understand what is so significant about teenage years in terms of the development of mental health issues, especially in combination with the prolific use of digital technologies and brain function. However, the way we conduct our research means we are uniquely placed to answer this question. 

We started our study in 2014 with 7,000 young people from 39 schools across greater London, and where possible, have followed up with them every 2 years since. We collect information on brain function, digital technology use, demographic, socio-economic status, lifestyle and environment, physical and mental health.  This will allow us to look at how all these factors may be related to mental health, and ultimately, what can be done to improve this, by making recommendations to policy makers accordingly.

Involved Regions: Europe and Central Asia
Involved Countries: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the)

Schmutz C, Bürgler A, Ashta N, Soenksen J, Karim Y.B, Shen C, Smith R.B, Jenkins R.H, Mireku M.O, Mutz J, Maes M.J.A, Hirst R, Chang I, Fleming C, Mussa A, Kesary D, Addison D, Maslanyj M, Toledano M.B, Röösli M, Eeftens M. Personal radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure of adolescents in the Greater London area in the SCAMP cohort and the association with restrictions on permitted use of mobile communication technologies at school and at home. Environ Res. 2022;212(Part B):113252. DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113252

Shen C, Dumontheil I, Thomas M, Röösli M, Elliot P, Toledano M. Digital technology use and BMI: evidence from a cross-sectional analysis of an adolescent cohort study. J Med Internet Res. 2021;23(7):e26485. DOI: 10.2196/26485

Jenkins R.H, Shen C, Dumontheil I, Thomas M.S.C, Elliott P, Röösli M, Toledano M. Social networking site use in young adolescents: association with health-related quality of life and behavioural difficulties. Comput Human Behav. 2020;109:106320. DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2020.106320

Mireku M.O, Barker M.M, Mutz J, Shen C, Dumontheil I, Thomas M.S.C, Röösli M, Elliott P, Toledano M.B. Processed data on the night-time use of screen-based media devices and adolescents’ sleep quality and health-related quality of life. Data Brief. 2019;23:103761. DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2019.103761

Mireku M.O, Barker M.M, Mutz J, Dumontheil I, Thomas M.S.C, Röösli M, Elliott P, Toledano M.B. Night-time screen-based media device use and adolescents' sleep and health-related quality of life. Environ Int. 2019;124:66-78. DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.11.069

Toledano M.B, Mutz J, Röösli M, Thomas M.S.C, Dumontheil I, Elliott P. Cohort profile: the Study of Cognition, Adolescents and Mobile Phones (SCAMP). Int J Epidemiol. 2019;48(1):25-26l. DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyy192

Mireku M.O, Mueller W, Fleming C, Chang I, Dumontheil I, Thomas M.S.C, Eeftens M, Elliott P, Röösli M, Toledano M.B. Total recall in the SCAMP cohort: validation of self-reported mobile phone use in the smartphone era. Environ Res. 2018;161:1-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2017.10.034

Eeftens M, Shen C, Sönksen J, Schmutz C, van Wel L, Liorni I, Vermeulen R, Cardis E, Wiart J, Toledano M, Röösli M. Modelling of daily radiofrequency electromagnetic field dose for a prospective adolescent cohort. Environ Int. 2023;172:107737. DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.107737

Contact