Does Social Media Impact Adolescent Mental Health?

Purpose

The mental health of adolescents in the United States has seen a steep decline since 2011, roughly coinciding with the increasing popularity of social media and smartphones. But does social media have a causal impact on the mental health of adolescents or are concerns about the effect of social media on kids a form of public hysteria? In this study, the investigators will conduct the first field experiment in 11-14-year-olds to examine whether, how, and for whom social media harms mental health.

Condition

  • Mental Health

Eligibility

Eligible Ages
Between 10 Years and 14 Years
Eligible Genders
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Inclusion Criteria

  1. is an adolescent who is between the ages of 10 and 14; 2. is an adolescent whose parents have decided to buy them their first smartphone; 3. is an adolescent both of whose parents/guardians consent for them to be in the study; 4. is an adolescent who assents to be in the study; 5) is an adolescent who speaks and reads English sufficiently to complete surveys and provide informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria

  1. is an adolescent who has severe developmental problems (e.g., autism, severe language delay); 2. is an adolescent who is currently or has ever been diagnosed with severe or moderately severe mental illness; 3. is an adolescent who is currently or has ever experienced suicidal ideation.

Study Design

Phase
N/A
Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Crossover Assignment
Primary Purpose
Basic Science
Masking
None (Open Label)

Arm Groups

ArmDescriptionAssigned Intervention
No Intervention
Naturalistic Social Media 		In this control condition, participants will have no study-imposed restrictions on social media use.
Experimental
Restricted Social Media 		Participants will have social media apps on their phones blocked for three months.
  • Behavioral: Restricted Social Media
    Participants (N = 500) will be randomly assigned to either have no study-imposed restrictions on social media use (naturalistic social media condition) or have no access to social media apps on their phones (restricted social media condition). This manipulation will last three months, after which both groups will have no study-imposed restrictions on social media for three more months.

Recruiting Locations

Georgetown University
Washington, District of Columbia 20057
Contact:
Kostadin Kushlev, PhD
kk1199@georgetown.edu

More Details

Status
Recruiting
Sponsor
Georgetown University

Study Contact

Kostadin Kushlev, PhD
804-585-4385
kk1199@georgetown.edu