How social media language and teen mental health influence each other
#EverythingSucks: Understanding the bidirectional relations between vulnerability to internalizing symptoms in youth (13-20) and social mediacontent
This project follows 13–20 year olds to see how the words they use on social media and feelings like anxiety or depression change each other over time.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Trustees of Indiana University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Bloomington, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11181489 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would join a group of about 1,000 teens and young adults and report how you feel several times a day using short phone prompts. At the same time, the study passively collects text and social media language from your smartphone using the EARS app. Researchers will combine these momentary reports with the language data to map whether negative or distorted language predicts mood changes and whether mood shifts change how people write online. The goal is to include younger teens (13–16) and a more diverse sample than prior studies to understand these links across ages 13–20.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Teens and young adults aged 13–20 who regularly use a smartphone and social media and are willing to complete brief mood surveys and allow passive text/social-media data collection would be ideal.
Not a fit: People younger than 13 or older than 20, those who do not use smartphones or social media, or those unwilling to share phone text or social-media language are unlikely to be included or benefit directly.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal language patterns that warn of worsening anxiety or depression so clinicians and families can get help earlier.
How similar studies have performed: Prior SOCIAL studies in adults and older teens have found that cognitively distorted and negative language on social media is linked to internalizing symptoms, but studying 13–16 year olds in this intensive way is new.
Where this research is happening
Bloomington, United States
- Trustees of Indiana University — Bloomington, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lorenzo Luaces, Lorenzo — Trustees of Indiana University
- Study coordinator: Lorenzo Luaces, Lorenzo
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.