Start with what youwant to know.

No. It’s your choice. You can say no to any part, or stop at any time, even on the day. You don’t have to say why, and nobody at school will mind.

No. If you choose to send screenshots of your phone’s Screen Time page, we only see which apps you used and for how long. You can cover up anything first.

No. We don’t give your answers to your teachers, your school or your friends. We only share results about big groups of young people, never about you.

Our researchers visit your school for a workshop. You learn how the brain works and see a live demonstration of EEG. If you want to, you wear a lightweight headset that records your brain’s activity while you sit quietly and do a simple computer task, and you answer some short questionnaires. See what a session involves.

That’s fine. Tell the researcher or your teacher, even on the day. You don’t have to say why. Afterwards, you or your parent or carer can email brainpop@leeds.ac.uk, the MyPhone/MyBrain team’s inbox.

Talk to an adult you trust, at home or at school, or to the researchers when they visit. You can also call Childline free, any time, on 0800 1111.

We are currently inviting secondary schools in Bradford and Leeds. If your school would like to talk with us, use the school form on this website. There is no pressure to take part after an initial conversation.

The study is for secondary school pupils, usually aged 11 to 18. We work through schools. If a school is interested, we share information with staff, parents, carers and pupils. You can contact us at any time if you have a question.

Each visit is a workshop at school, for the classes taking part. Pupils learn how the brain works and see a live demonstration of EEG. Those who agree wear a lightweight headset that records brain activity while they sit quietly and do a simple computer task, and answer short questionnaires about their background, wellbeing and everyday life, including their phone use. Separately, and only if they choose, families can share screenshots of the phone’s screen-time page online. Taking part is always a choice: a parent or carer can opt their child out by email beforehand, and on the day young people choose the parts they want to do and can stop at any time.

Each visit is a workshop for a group of up to 30 pupils, during the school day. We can run up to three in a day, and we plan dates with each school around timetables and exam periods. Schools take part for up to three school years, and each year is a fresh choice.

EEG stands for electroencephalography. It uses small sensors on the scalp to record brain activity. It is safe and painless. It does not send electricity into the brain. EEG is a research tool. It is not a medical procedure.

No. EEG records patterns of activity at the scalp. It cannot read thoughts, feelings, intentions or personality. The study does not diagnose health conditions, check pupils for difficulties or give individual brain profiles to schools or families.

No. Phone data donation is optional, and only happens if the family opts in online: a parent or carer says yes first for under-16s, and young people aged 16 or over decide for themselves. Young people take part in the workshop without donating phone data. Their choice will not affect their place at school or their relationship with staff.

They can still take part in the workshop, just like everyone else, and your answers still help the study. The online form asks first whether your child has a phone of their own. Answer “No, not yet”, and you get a few short questions about what you think of phones and social media instead. There is no screen time to share.

Only if the family opts in online: screenshots of the phone’s Screen Time page (iPhone) or Digital Wellbeing page (Android). They show which apps were used and for how long. A parent who can see their child’s screen time on their own phone (Apple Family Sharing or Google Family Link) can send it from there; otherwise the young person sends it from their phone, if they want to. Screenshots do not show messages, photos, videos, posts, contacts, or what was watched or searched, and any part of a screenshot can be hidden before it is sent. Parents and carers also answer some short questions about their child’s phone and social media use, whether or not the screen time is shared.

Please finish it as soon as you can. Your thank-you page and your copy of the record have a link and a reference (it looks like MPMB-ABCD-EF2). Open the link, or choose “Carry on with your reference” on the form, and enter the young person’s date of birth. Your child can then give their answer and share their screen time if they want to, or you can add the screenshots. What you sent before stays as it is. No reference? Start the form again, or email brainpop@leeds.ac.uk.

The University of Leeds stores and handles data in line with UK data protection law and its own policies. Researchers use secure systems with controlled access. They work with data that do not directly identify a person wherever possible. We do not sell data or give it to social media companies or other commercial organisations. The information sheet has the details.

Connected West Yorkshire is a research data programme that provides access to linked information through more than one dataset. This can include health, care and education records. Linking is part of the study for young people who take part in the workshop, using a code rather than a name and only with the approvals in place. Opting out of the workshop also opts out of linking: without the workshop there is nothing to link.

Yes. Every young person in the classes taking part is invited to the workshop unless a parent or carer opts them out. To opt out, a parent or carer emails brainpop@leeds.ac.uk: the opt-out page explains what your child would miss, and then how. There is no form to fill in and no paper slip. An opt-out after the workshop withdraws your child’s information too, as far as is still possible. This will not affect your child’s education or relationship with school. The information sheet explains how opting out works, and why.

Yes. They can stop at any time during a session, without giving a reason. Afterwards, they or their parent or carer can ask for their data to be withdrawn by telling the researchers or emailing brainpop@leeds.ac.uk, quoting their reference if they have one. Within one month of the workshop we can remove all of it; after that, we remove everything we still can. It will not affect their place at school or their involvement in other activities. More in the information sheet.

The session links with science, computing and PSHE. Pupils learn about brain science, research methods and digital data. We can offer a follow-up session to share accessible findings with the school community. Schools can ask for group findings from their cohort at the end of each school year.

No. The study does not assess academic ability, diagnose health conditions or create individual profiles for schools or families. We report findings about groups of people. The project is for research, rather than clinical or educational assessment.

The Huo Family Foundation funds MyPhone/MyBrain. The University of Leeds leads the project with Born in Bradford, the Centre for Applied Education Research and partner schools. The study was approved by the University of Leeds School of Psychology Research Ethics Committee (reference SoPREC 4202) on 11 June 2026, and the University’s data protection team signed off the study’s data protection impact assessment in May 2026.

Yes. Everyone from the team who works in schools holds an enhanced DBS certificate, and we send each school the certificates before our first visit. At least two researchers are present at all times, and no researcher is ever alone with a pupil.

Professor Faisal Mushtaq at the University of Leeds leads the project. Researchers from the University of Leeds, the University of Sheffield, the University of York and Born in Bradford are involved. You can find the full team on the team page.

The programme runs for four years, including three school years of delivery. We will share updates with participating schools as findings become available. We will also share public summaries and research papers where possible. We want young people, families and schools to be able to understand what we find.

Teachers and school leaders at secondary schools in Bradford or Leeds can use the school form to contact us. We will reply to talk through next steps.

Use the form on the contact page, or email brainpop@leeds.ac.uk, the MyPhone/MyBrain team’s inbox. Young people, parents, carers, teachers and researchers are all welcome. We aim to reply within five working days.