Does Social Media Impact Adolescent Mental Health?
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Restricted Social Media.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Mental Health. Basic parameters: 10 years — 14 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- United States
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Causal Effects of Exposure to Social Media on Adolescent Mental Health
Overview
The mental health of adolescents in the United States has seen a steep decline, 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 10-14-year-olds to examine whether, how, and for whom social media harms mental health.
Interventions
- 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.
Primary outcome measures
- Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS-25): Total Score [Time frame: Baseline, three months, and six months]
Secondary outcome measures (2)
- Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS-25): Depression Subscale [Time frame: Baseline, three months, and six months]
- Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS-25): Anxiety Subscale [Time frame: Baseline, three months, and six months]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- is an adolescent who is between the ages of 10 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.
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Model
- Crossover
- Masking
- Single blind
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
Study locations
United States · 1 center
- Georgetown University — Washington D.C.
Identifiers
NCT: NCT06049888 · 1R01MH135467