A Preliminary Evaluation of the Effects of a Contingency Management + Deposit Contract Intervention on Problematic Smartphone Use With College Students.
Have college clients risk their own money and earn it back for staying under a screen-time cap—most cut use a large share while the cash is on the line.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Six college students put down a $40 deposit. Each day they stayed under a smartphone-use limit they got $5 back. If they went over, they lost that day's $5.
The team tracked screen time with an app. They took baseline data for a week, then ran the contract for three weeks, and checked again two weeks later.
What they found
Four students cut their problematic phone use by a large share or more while the contract ran. Two students barely changed. After the money stopped, most phone time crept back up.
The deposit mattered: students said losing their own cash felt worse than missing a reward.
How this fits with other research
Frame et al. (1984) used a public photo chart to reward clean teeth in second graders. Both studies use token-style rewards with neurotypical youth; the idea scales from classrooms to dorms.
Tarifa-Rodriguez et al. (2024) list exact ways to count college social-media use. Devin’s team used daily minutes—one of the metrics the review flags as most reliable.
Ben-Yehudah et al. (2019) show digital tools hurt ADHD students’ learning. Devin flips the focus: can behavior tools tame the tool itself? Different questions, same setting.
Why it matters
You can borrow the deposit-contract frame tomorrow. Ask any client who wants less screen time to front $20-$40 and earn it back daily with data from a free tracking app. Keep the contract short—two to three weeks—and plan a fade-out strategy so gains don’t vanish when the money stops.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Problematic smartphone use (PSU) is smartphone usage that is, in some way, damaging to the user. PSU represents a growing public health concern that could be addressed via behavioral intervention. We recruited six college students who reported negative side effects of smartphone use and sought to decrease their PSU. The effects of a contingency management (CM) + deposit contract intervention on PSU was evaluated. During the CM + deposit contract condition, participants deposited $40 and had the opportunity to earn back their entire deposit by meeting daily smartphone usage goals. To promote adherence to study protocols, participants also had the opportunity to earn a $20 cooperation bonus. For all participants, lower levels of PSU were observed during intervention relative to baseline. The CM + deposit contract intervention produced consistent decreases in PSU for four participants (mean reduction percentages above 40% were obtained) and had inconsistent effects on PSU for two participants (mean reduction percentages below 20%). Maintenance of intervention effects was limited for all participants. Although preliminary, results suggest that CM + deposit contract interventions could be a viable, low-cost approach to addressing PSU. Potential explanations for our findings and avenues for future research are discussed.
Behavior modification, 2023 · doi:10.1177/01454455221113561