Tech & Society Lab | Tech Policy Evaluation

Assessing Online Experiences and Evaluating Policy

Around the world, governments and schools are beginning to change the rules governing adolescents’ access to smartphones and social media. Two of the most prominent reforms are phone-free schools and minimum age restrictions for social media. UNESCO reported that 114 education systems have adopted national policies restricting phones in schools. In 2025, Australia became the first country to establish a national minimum age of 16 for social media accounts, and other countries are considering similar measures.

These policies create an important opportunity for research. Are they effectively changing company behavior? Do they actually change how young people use technology? Do they improve learning, mental health, social interaction, or family life? Which approaches work best, and what unintended consequences emerge? What evidence do policymakers need to design more effective interventions, and continue to measure the efficacy of these regulations over time? And what can these early efforts teach us about regulating emerging technologies such as AI and EdTech?

At the Tech & Society Lab, we study these policies as they are implemented in the real world. We work with researchers, schools, and other partners to measure their effects, identify why some approaches succeed while others fall short, and help policymakers learn from early adopters.