How social media affects teens' mood and anxiety
Adolescents' Social Media Use and Internalizing Symptoms: Mechanisms of Risk and Resilience
This project looks at how teens' social media habits, reactions, and beliefs relate to feelings of depression and anxiety in 13–16-year-olds using online tasks and follow-ups.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rhode Island Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Providence, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11173707 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would join a 200-teen, 18-month study that follows young people at four time points (baseline, 6, 12, and 18 months). At each visit you'll complete questionnaires about mood and social media use and take part in an online experimental task that uses eye-tracking to simulate peer social media interactions. The study also collects real-time social media data with your permission and includes a youth advisory board to shape procedures and materials. Researchers will combine these measures to identify patterns of social media experience and emotional response that predict increases or decreases in depression and anxiety.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are teens aged 13–16 from diverse backgrounds who use social media and have a range of depressive or anxious symptoms.
Not a fit: This project may not benefit younger children, adults, teens who do not use social media, or those seeking immediate clinical treatment.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify specific social media experiences to target with prevention, guidance, or early support to reduce teen depression and anxiety.
How similar studies have performed: Prior observational studies link social media use with teen depression and anxiety, but combining experimental eye-tracking with longitudinal follow-up is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
Providence, United States
- Rhode Island Hospital — Providence, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nesi, Jacqueline — Rhode Island Hospital
- Study coordinator: Nesi, Jacqueline
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.