How smartphones and social media affect 10–14-year-olds' mental health
Causal Effects of Exposure to Social Media on Adolescent Mental Health
Researchers will follow 500 children aged 10–14 who are getting their first smartphone and compare mental health over three months between those with normal social media access and those whose phones block social media.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Georgetown University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Washington, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11135366 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If your child is about to get their first smartphone, this study would enroll them and track their mood and behavior over time. Half of enrolled kids will use phones with no study-imposed social media limits and half will have social media access blocked for three months. The team will collect repeated reports of anxiety, depression, attention, and related behaviors to see how early social media exposure relates to changes in mental health. Results aim to show whether removing social media during this first-smartphone period changes emotional well-being and the underlying mechanisms.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are 10–14-year-olds whose parents have decided to buy them their first smartphone and who are willing to follow the study procedures for three months.
Not a fit: Children outside the 10–14 age range, those already using smartphones extensively, or families unwilling to follow the phone restrictions likely would not benefit from or be eligible for this study.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the results could give parents and clinicians clear guidance about whether limiting social media when kids first get smartphones reduces anxiety and depression.
How similar studies have performed: Most prior work is correlational and mixed, so this randomized, longitudinal field experiment is a novel approach to test causal effects.
Where this research is happening
Washington, United States
- Georgetown University — Washington, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kushlev, Kostadin — Georgetown University
- Study coordinator: Kushlev, Kostadin
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.