How teens' online and offline worlds affect mental health
Online and offline multiverse spillover: Mapping the ecology of youth mental health
Researchers will follow adolescents to learn how social media and other online activities relate to everyday mood and behavior.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Florida NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Gainesville, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11190979 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be asked to let researchers collect information about your online activity and briefly report on your mood and experiences over time. The team combines passive tracking from smartphones (like app use and online interactions) with short daily or weekly surveys to see how online experiences and offline feelings influence each other. The project pays special attention to groups who may experience different effects, such as girls and sexual and gender minority youth, and aims to capture real-world patterns rather than one-time reports. This approach looks for two-way, within-person links so your day-to-day online life can help explain changes in mental health.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adolescents and teens who are willing to share smartphone-based data about their online activity and complete brief mood or experience surveys, including LGBTQ+ youth.
Not a fit: People who are not adolescents, who do not want to share digital data, or who need immediate clinical care for a psychiatric emergency may not receive direct benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could guide better supports or targeted interventions to reduce harm and boost the benefits of online spaces for adolescents.
How similar studies have performed: Prior studies report mixed results and mostly relied on surveys or simple time-on-screen measures, so using passive, within-person tracking is a newer and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
Gainesville, United States
- University of Florida — Gainesville, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lynne, Sarah Delphia — University of Florida
- Study coordinator: Lynne, Sarah Delphia
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.