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Does Social Media Impact Adolescent Mental Health?

Georgetown University · with National Institutes of Health (NIH) · NCT06049888

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Opens the official ClinicalTrials.gov record, with the study team’s contacts. Bored Studies doesn’t enroll anyone.

Key facts

Compensation
Not posted. Ask the study team before screening.
Who can join
Ages 10–14 · All sexes
Healthy volunteers
Accepted
Study type
Interventional · Not applicable
Target enrollment
500
US sites recruiting
1
Study start
September 29, 2024
Record last updated
July 8, 2026

Status re-checked against ClinicalTrials.gov within the last 12 hours.

What the study is about

The mental health of adolescents in the United States has seen a steep decline, 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 10-14-year-olds to examine whether, how, and for whom social media harms mental health.

Being studied: Restricted Social Media

Conditions: Mental Health

Eligibility criteria

Copied from the official record. The study team makes the final decision at screening.

Show full criteria

Inclusion Criteria

  • is an adolescent who is between the ages of 10 and 14;
  • is an adolescent whose parents have decided to buy them their first smartphone;
  • is an adolescent both of whose parents/guardians consent for them to be in the study;
  • is an adolescent who assents to be in the study; 5) is an adolescent who speaks and reads English sufficiently to complete surveys and provide informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria

  • is an adolescent who has severe developmental problems (e.g., autism, severe language delay);
  • is an adolescent who is currently or has ever been diagnosed with severe or moderately severe mental illness;
  • is an adolescent who is currently or has ever experienced suicidal ideation.

Recruiting US locations

  • Georgetown University

    Washington D.C., DC 20057

    Site contact: Kostadin Kushlev, PhD · kk1199@georgetown.edu

Study contacts (from the official record)

  • Kostadin Kushlev, PhD · 804-585-4385 · kk1199@georgetown.edu
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Does Social Media Impact Adolescent Mental Health? (NCT06049888) | Bored Studies