Reducing Smartphone Overuse for Adolescents With Attention-Deficit Hyperactive Disorder

NCT ID: NCT07092787

Last Updated: 2025-07-30

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 120 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-09-30
• Study Completion Date: 2028-06-30

Brief Summary

This study will develop and evaluate a smartphone-based behavioral intervention for adolescents with Attention-Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) and smartphone overuse in Hong Kong. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Can a smartphone-based intervention lower self-reported smartphone dependence and objective smartphone usage?
• Can a smartphone-based intervention lower parent-rated and self-rated ADHD symptoms?
• Are there differences in electroencephalogram (EEG) in the smartphone salient vs smartphone non-salient conditions after intervention?

Adolescent participants will:

• report weekly smartphone use patterns based on app screencap for 12 weeks
• complete online surveys on smartphone dependency and ADHD symptoms for 3 times
• receive 10-minute EEG recordings to gather resting-state EEG data in a natural and relaxing state for 3 times

Parent participants will:

• provide a valid clinical report to confirm the adolescent's diagnosis of ADHD
• complete online surveys to report on the adolescent's smartphone usage and ADHD symptoms for 3 times

Conditions

Attention Deficit Hyerpactivity Disorder; Smartphone Addiction

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Smartphone Intervention

The treatment group will receive a 12-week individualized smartphone-based behavioral intervention based on the following strategies. They will be contacted once a week to collect the objective smartphone use patterns and check for compliance of the intervention strategies.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Smartphone-based behavioral intervention

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

The proposed study will use a behavioral smartphone-based intervention in a 12-week RCT among clinically diagnosed ADHD adolescents in Hong Kong. Guided by a conceptual framework on SO in ADHD, we will implement specific strategies that counter the potentially addictive qualities of smartphones using built-in smartphone functions that have been previously shown to be effective.

Control

The control group will receive information about the known benefits and risks of SO and activate their smartphones' screentime monitoring setting. They will be contacted once a week to collect the objective smartphone use patterns, but they will self-monitor their smartphone usage.

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Self-monitoring of smartphone use

Intervention Type: OTHER

Participants will receive information about the known benefits and risks of SO and activate their smartphones' screentime monitoring setting. They will receive weekly reminders to submit their smartphone usage data.

Interventions

Smartphone-based behavioral intervention

The proposed study will use a behavioral smartphone-based intervention in a 12-week RCT among clinically diagnosed ADHD adolescents in Hong Kong. Guided by a conceptual framework on SO in ADHD, we will implement specific strategies that counter the potentially addictive qualities of smartphones using built-in smartphone functions that have been previously shown to be effective.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Self-monitoring of smartphone use

Participants will receive information about the known benefits and risks of SO and activate their smartphones' screentime monitoring setting. They will receive weekly reminders to submit their smartphone usage data.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• full-scale IQ above 85
• right-handedness to control for hemispheric dominance
• a confirmed diagnosis of ADHD
• ratings of current symptoms of ADHD on the Strengths and Weaknesses of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms and Normal Behaviour Scale
• on a stable dose of ADHD medication for at least 4 weeks prior to trial entry or was taking no medication, with no plan to start or change medication type or dosage for the duration of the study
• over 2 hours of daily smartphone use within the last 4 weeks excluding educational apps
• a total score on the Smartphone Addiction Scale - Short Version (SAS-SV) above 31 and 33 for male and female adolescents, respectively

Exclusion Criteria

• severe physical or sensory disabilities that may alter the participation in the intervention
• major depressive episode, bipolar disorder, substance abuse/dependence within the last 6 months
• significant neurological conditions (e.g., epilepsy, traumatic brain injury) that could affect cognitive and behavioral functioning
• concurrent participation in other ADHD interventions (e.g., clinical trials) excluding standard care

• Minimum Eligible Age: 12 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 17 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Education University of Hong Kong

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

YUM Yen Na Cherry

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Yen Na Yum

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

The Education University of Hong Kong

Central Contacts

Yen Na Yum

Role: CONTACT

yyum@eduhk.hk

(+852) 29488225

Other Identifiers

HHB/H/41/208

Identifier Type: OTHER_GRANT

Identifier Source: secondary_id

2023-2024-0412

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id