Does Social Media Impact Adolescent Mental Health?
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
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 or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| 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.
|
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS-25): Total Score [Baseline, three months, and six months]
The average score varies between 0 and 4, with higher scores indicating a worse outcome.
Secondary Outcome Measures
- Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS-25): Depression Subscale [Baseline, three months, and six months]
The average score varies between 0 and 4, with higher scores indicating a worse outcome.
- Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS-25): Anxiety Subscale [Baseline, three months, and six months]
The average score varies between 0 and 4, with higher scores indicating a worse outcome.
Other Outcome Measures
- DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure Youth Self Report [Baseline, three months, and six months]
The average score varies between 0 and 4, with higher scores indicating a worse outcome.
- DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure Parent Report [Baseline, three months, and six months]
The average score varies between 0 and 4, with higher scores indicating a worse outcome.
- Upward Social Comparison (EMA) [Every three days throughout the study with two averages computed for 0 to 3 months and 3 to 6 months.]
Mediator measured with a single, face-valid item in EMA surveys: "Over the past 24 hours, how often have you compared yourself to someone who you believe is better off than you?"
- Offline Social Capital: Quantity of In-Person Social Interactions (EMA) [Every three days throughout the study with two averages computed for 0 to 3 months and 3 to 6 months.]
Mediator measured with a single, face-valid item in EMA surveys: "Over past 24 hours, how much time did you spend socializing in person?"
- Offline Social Capital: Quality of In-Person Social Interactions (EMA) [Every three days throughout the study with two averages computed for 0 to 3 months and 3 to 6 months.]
Mediator measured with a single, face-valid item in EMA surveys: "Over past 24 hours, how much did you enjoy your in-person social interactions with others?"
- Quantity of Online Social Interactions (Mobile Sensing) [Daily throughout the study with two averages computed for 0 to 3 months and 3 to 6 months.]
Mediator: Quantity of digital social interactions based on the total number of words participants type on their phone keyboards each day.
- Valence of Online Social Interactions (Mobile Sensing) [Daily throughout the study with two averages computed for 0 to 3 months and 3 to 6 months.]
Mediator: Quality/valence of digital social interactions by measuring the balance between positive and negative words participants type on their phone keyboards. The valence of the words typed will first be scored using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software. The sum of the valence scores of all words will produce the final score for analysis.
- Active (vs Passive) Social Media Use (Mobile Sensing) [Daily throughout the study with two averages computed for 0 to 3 months and 3 to 6 months.]
Active usage includes creating content and direct messaging, while passive usage includes browsing, scrolling, or watching videos. Using data from the Inertial Measurement Unit (i.e., accelerometer and gyroscope data) and keyboard input (i.e. typing or not), an Extremely Randomized Trees algorithm will classify behaviors into active or passive.
- Passive (vs Active) Social Media Use (Mobile Sensing) [Daily throughout the study with two averages computed for 0 to 3 months and 3 to 6 months.]
Active usage includes creating content and direct messaging, while passive usage includes browsing, scrolling, or watching videos. Using data from the Inertial Measurement Unit (i.e., accelerometer and gyroscope data) and keyboard input (i.e. typing or not), an Extremely Randomized Trees algorithm will classify behaviors into active or passive.
- Time Spent in Specific Social Media Apps (Mobile Sensing) [Daily throughout the study with two averages computed for 0 to 3 months and 3 to 6 months.]
Time participants spend in specific social media apps as assessed unobtrusively by mobile sensing.
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
-
is an adolescent who is between the ages of 11 and 14;
-
is an adolescent whose parents have decided to buy them their first smartphone;
-
is an adolescent both of whose parents/guardians consent for them to be in the study;
-
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:
-
is an adolescent who has severe developmental problems (e.g., autism, severe language delay);
-
is an adolescent who is currently or has ever been diagnosed with severe or moderately severe mental illness;
-
is an adolescent who is currently or has ever experienced suicidal ideation.
Contacts and Locations
Locations
No locations specified.Sponsors and Collaborators
- Georgetown University
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Investigators
None specified.Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
None provided.- 1R01MH135467