Trial Review

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Trial registered on ANZCTR


Registration number
Help: Registration number
ACTRN12626000364370
Ethics application status
Help: Ethics application status
Approved
Date submitted
Help: Date submitted
22/02/2026
Date registered
Help: Date registered
24/03/2026
Date last updated
Help: Date last updated
24/03/2026
Date data sharing statement initially provided
Help: Data sharing statement date
24/03/2026
Type of registration
Help: Type of registration
Retrospectively registered

Titles & IDs
Public title
Tech-Together: A family-based intervention promoting healthy screen use for Australian adolescents
Scientific title
Feasibility evaluation of a family-based intervention promoting healthy screen use for Australian adolescents
Additional trial identifiers [1] 315269 0
None
Universal Trial Number (UTN)
Trial acronym
Related trial records

Health condition
Health condition(s) studied:
Screen time 340783 0
Screen Addiction 341004 0
Condition category
Condition code
Public Health 336957 336957 0 0
Health promotion/education
Mental Health 337149 337149 0 0
Studies of normal psychology, cognitive function and behaviour

Intervention/exposure
Study type
Interventional
Description of the intervention or exposure
This study evaluates an evidence-informed family-based intervention designed to promote healthy screen use among Australian adolescents in Years 7–8. The pilot study adopts a single-arm pre-post design, without a control group and will be delivered at high schools in South East Queensland, where participants (adolescents and their parents/caregivers) will be recruited. The primary aim of the study is to evaluate the feasibility of the intervention in promoting healthy screen use among adolescents in Australia. The secondary aims are to assess the reach, fidelity, acceptability, and implementation of the intervention; To understand how the intervention enhances role-modelling and media efficacy in parents, as well as adolescents’ awareness, knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy, and motivation to change regarding screen use; To examine whether the intervention can improve positive mental well-being and reduce psychological distress in adolescents.

The intervention integrates skills-based education for adolescents with active parental involvement and is grounded in Social Cognitive Theory and Self-Determination Theory. Intervention materials include five short educational video modules (approximately five minutes each) titled Taking Charge of Screens, Connect and Communicate, Stay Safe Online, Parenting in the Digital World, and Collaborative Culture. Materials also include worksheets for goal setting and self-monitoring, customisable family screen-use agreement templates, action strategy guides (establishing family charging stations, organising screen free gatherings and facilitating structured family discussions), and checklists to track progress.

The intervention comprises upto three adolescent sessions, one parent session, and one joint parent–adolescent session (each 40–60 minutes), delivered over approximately 2–3 weeks within one school term. The number of adolescent sessions will be determined in consultation with participating schools based on timetable availability; however, a minimum of two and a maximum of three sessions will be delivered. Sessions are delivered face-to-face at participating secondary schools in South-East Queensland, with online delivery available where required, and supported by emails and weekly reminder messages from teachers.

The intervention sessions will cover several key topics. Adolescent sessions introduce the concept of healthy and intentional screen use, encourage reflection on personal screen habits, and provide practical strategies for managing online interactions and digital safety. Activities include viewing short educational videos, group discussions, goal setting exercises, and collaborative activities designed to identify healthy alternatives to excessive screen use. Parent sessions focus on understanding adolescent screen behaviours, supporting positive role modelling, setting family expectations for digital media use, and having media-related conversations with their children. The joint parent–adolescent session provides an opportunity for families to discuss their experiences implementing strategies and to refine their family screen use agreements.

The intervention will be facilitated by members of the research team (AR, AK and EE), who developed the program and have expertise in adolescent health and school based interventions. Facilitators will use standardised session guides and materials to ensure consistent delivery across schools. As the intervention is delivered by the research team, no additional external training is required; however, facilitators will follow structured protocols to maintain fidelity to the intervention design.

Families are encouraged to adapt strategies to their household context to enhance relevance and feasibility. Adherence and fidelity will be monitored using several strategies, including attendance records for each session, collection of completed weekly checklists from participating families, structured observation of session delivery using standardised checklists, and post intervention process evaluation surveys and interviews with participants. These measures will allow the research team to assess the extent to which the intervention was delivered and implemented as intended.
Intervention code [1] 333281 0
Behaviour
Intervention code [2] 333282 0
Lifestyle
Intervention code [3] 333415 0
Prevention
Description of the comparator or control
No control group
Control group
Uncontrolled

Outcomes
Primary outcome [1] 344485 0
Feasibility of the intervention, assessed as a composite outcome comprising reach, fidelity, acceptability, and implementation.
Timepoint [1] 344485 0
Baseline and 3 weeks post-intervention
Primary outcome [2] 344486 0
Adolescents screen time
Timepoint [2] 344486 0
Baseline and 3 weeks post-intervention
Primary outcome [3] 344487 0
Adolescents screen use context
Timepoint [3] 344487 0
Baseline and 3 weeks post-intervention
Secondary outcome [1] 458016 0
Parents screen time
Timepoint [1] 458016 0
Baseline and 3 weeks post-intervention
Secondary outcome [2] 458017 0
Parental perception of child media use
Timepoint [2] 458017 0
Baseline and 3 weeks post-program
Secondary outcome [3] 458018 0
Adolescent determinants of screen use (awareness, knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy). This will be assessed as a composite outcome.
Timepoint [3] 458018 0
Baseline and 3 weeks post-intervention
Secondary outcome [4] 458019 0
Adolescents psychological distress
Timepoint [4] 458019 0
Baseline and 3 weeks post-intervention
Secondary outcome [5] 458780 0
Social media addiction
Timepoint [5] 458780 0
Baseline and 3 weeks post-intervention
Secondary outcome [6] 458781 0
Video game addiction
Timepoint [6] 458781 0
Baseline and 3 weeks post-intervention
Secondary outcome [7] 458782 0
Mobile phone involvement
Timepoint [7] 458782 0
Baseline and 3 weeks post-intervention
Secondary outcome [8] 458783 0
Parental role-modelling
Timepoint [8] 458783 0
Baseline and 3 weeks post-intervention
Secondary outcome [9] 458784 0
Parental media efficacy
Timepoint [9] 458784 0
Baseline and 3 weeks post-intervention
Secondary outcome [10] 458785 0
Motivation to behaviour change in adolescents
Timepoint [10] 458785 0
Baseline and 3 weeks post-intervention
Secondary outcome [11] 458786 0
Adolescents well-being
Timepoint [11] 458786 0
Baseline and 3 weeks post-intervention

Eligibility
Key inclusion criteria
Eligible participants are typically developing adolescents enrolled in Year 7 or Year 8 at participating secondary schools in Brisbane, together with one consenting parent or primary caregiver. Both the adolescent and parent/caregiver must provide written informed consent prior to participation. Families must have resided in Australia for at least five years to ensure contextual relevance of the intervention materials, and neither the adolescent nor the parent may be concurrently participating in another screen use–related intervention or trial.
Minimum age
12 Years
Maximum age
No limit
Sex
Both males and females
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Key exclusion criteria
Adolescents will be excluded if they have developmental or cognitive conditions that would substantially limit their ability to participate in the intervention activities or complete study measures, or if they are currently participating in another intervention or clinical trial targeting screen use or related behavioural outcomes. Families will also be excluded if either the adolescent or parent/caregiver declines or withdraws consent to participate. Families who have resided in Australia for less than five years will be excluded to ensure participants are familiar with the local schooling and digital environment.

Study design
Purpose of the study
Educational / counselling / training
Allocation to intervention
Non-randomised trial
Procedure for enrolling a subject and allocating the treatment (allocation concealment procedures)
Methods used to generate the sequence in which subjects will be randomised (sequence generation)
Masking / blinding
Who is / are masked / blinded?



Intervention assignment
Other design features
Phase
Not Applicable
Type of endpoint/s
Statistical methods / analysis
Data collected at baseline and post-intervention will assess the feasibility of the intervention in promoting healthy screen use and related outcomes. Insights from activity diaries and device metrics will determine screen duration, devices or platforms used (e.g., mobile phone, tablet, laptop), content (e.g., gaming, education, social media), and context (e.g., solitary viewing, co-viewing). Analysis will be done using R Studio, with statistical tests conducted at a 5% significance level. Descriptive statistics will provide an overview of participants’ baseline characteristics. Changes in screen time (total and by app), scores from SMAQ, VGAQ and MPIQ will be evaluated through paired t-tests or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, depending on data normality. For screen content and context, textual data will be categorised, and the frequency of different categories will be assessed to identify patterns before and after the intervention. Parental screen time and adolescent screen time will be compared to explore potential associations, serving as an indicator of parental role-modelling in screen use behaviours. Secondary outcomes, such as self-efficacy, awareness, knowledge, attitudes, motivation to change, and HRQoL, will undergo paired t-tests or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests for continuous variables. McNemar's Test or Cochran's Q Test will assess significant changes in categorical variables. To handle missing data, imputation techniques will ensure robust results. Where appropriate, regression analyses may be used to explore associations between baseline characteristics (e.g., age, sex, household size) and change scores. Although the study is not powered for effectiveness analysis, effect sizes may be estimated for screen duration. Qualitative data from the process evaluation will be analysed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis in NVivo, while quantitative data, such as survey responses, attendance rates and the number of strategies implemented, will be summarised descriptively.

Recruitment
Recruitment status
Recruiting
Date of first participant enrolment
Anticipated
Actual
2/02/2026
Date of last participant enrolment
Anticipated
31/03/2026
Actual
Date of last data collection
Anticipated
30/04/2026
Actual
Sample size
Target
38
Accrual to date
5
Final
Recruitment in Australia
Recruitment state(s)
QLD

Funding & Sponsors
Funding source category [1] 319838 0
University
Name [1] 319838 0
The University of Queensland - SHRS HDR student bursary
Country [1] 319838 0
Australia
Primary sponsor type
University
Name
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland
Address
Country
Australia
Secondary sponsor category [1] 322363 0
None
Name [1] 322363 0
Address [1] 322363 0
Country [1] 322363 0

Ethics approval
Ethics application status
Approved
Ethics committee name [1] 318395 0
The University of Queensland Human Research Ethics Committee A
Ethics committee address [1] 318395 0
Ethics committee country [1] 318395 0
Australia
Date submitted for ethics approval [1] 318395 0
Approval date [1] 318395 0
20/08/2025
Ethics approval number [1] 318395 0
2025/HE000536

Summary
Brief summary
Trial website
Trial related presentations / publications
Public notes

Contacts
Principal investigator
Name 144046 0
A/Prof Asaduzzaman Khan
Address 144046 0
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences. The University of Queensland St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia
Country 144046 0
Australia
Phone 144046 0
+61 7 334 67456
Fax 144046 0
Email 144046 0
[email protected]
Contact person for public queries
Name 144047 0
Anjana Rajagopal
Address 144047 0
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences. The University of Queensland St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia
Country 144047 0
Australia
Phone 144047 0
+61452391343
Fax 144047 0
Email 144047 0
[email protected]
Contact person for scientific queries
Name 144048 0
Anjana Rajagopal
Address 144048 0
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences. The University of Queensland St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia
Country 144048 0
Australia
Phone 144048 0
+61452391343
Fax 144048 0
Email 144048 0
[email protected]

Data sharing statement
Will the study consider sharing individual participant data?
No


What supporting documents are/will be available?

TypeCitationLinkEmailOther DetailsAttachment
Ethical approval    Decision notification letter - Ethics approval.pdf


Results publications and other study-related documents

Documents added manually
No documents have been uploaded by study researchers.

Documents added automatically
No additional documents have been identified.