How teens' attention to social media and poor sleep may lead to social anxiety
Official title: Testing a Mechanistic Model of Attention to Social Media Content and Sleep Disturbance in the Escalation of Social Anxiety in Adolescents
Funded at Florida International University · NIH-11120970 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether paying more attention to social media content and having poor sleep relate to growing social anxiety in 12–20-year-olds.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Florida International University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Miami, United States) |
| Project start | September 4, 2023 |
| Project end | June 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $2,059,682 |
| NIH project number | 4RF1MH135496-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11120970 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are 12–20-year-olds who use social media, experience shy or worried feelings in social situations, and have regular access to a smartphone.
✕Less likely to help
Teens outside the 12–20 age range, those who do not use social media, or those with severe psychiatric needs requiring immediate clinical care may not receive direct benefit from participation.
What this research studies
You would be asked to share how and when you use social media, answer brief real-time questions on your phone, and complete short attention tasks that measure how you notice social content. The study will also track sleep quality and efficiency using sleep reports and likely wearable or phone-based sleep tracking. Researchers will follow teens over time to see how attention to social posts and sleep problems relate to changes in social anxiety. The goal is to map the sequence of events so we can better support teens who feel more anxious in social situations.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to practical ways to reduce social anxiety in teens by changing social media habits or improving sleep.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have linked social media use and sleep problems to social anxiety but findings are mixed, and this real-time, mechanistic approach is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Florida International University
Miami, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Pettit, Jeremy W — Florida International University
- Study coordinator: Pettit, Jeremy W
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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.