The mental health of adolescents in the United States has seen a steep decline since 2011, roughly coinciding with the increasing popularity of social media and smartphones. But does social media have a causal impact on the mental health of adolescents or are concerns about the effect of social media on kids a form of public hysteria? In this study, the investigators will conduct the first field experiment in 11-14-year-olds to examine whether, how, and for whom social media harms mental health.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
500
Participants (N = 500) will be randomly assigned to either have no study-imposed restrictions on social media use (naturalistic social media condition) or have no access to social media apps on their phones (restricted social media condition). This manipulation will last three months, after which both groups will have no study-imposed restrictions on social media for three more months.
Georgetown University
Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States
RECRUITINGRevised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS-25): Total Score
The average score varies between 0 and 4, with higher scores indicating a worse outcome.
Time frame: Baseline, three months, and six months
Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS-25): Depression Subscale
The average score varies between 0 and 4, with higher scores indicating a worse outcome.
Time frame: Baseline, three months, and six months
Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS-25): Anxiety Subscale
The average score varies between 0 and 4, with higher scores indicating a worse outcome.
Time frame: Baseline, three months, and six months
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