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| Name | Class |
|---|---|
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | NIH |
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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.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naturalistic Social Media | No Intervention | In this control condition, participants will have no study-imposed restrictions on social media use. | |
| Restricted Social Media | Experimental | Participants will have social media apps on their phones blocked for three months. |
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| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restricted Social Media | Behavioral | 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. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS-25): Total Score | The average score varies between 0 and 4, with higher scores indicating a worse outcome. | Baseline, three months, and six months |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Baseline, three months, and six months |
| Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS-25): Anxiety Subscale |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure Youth Self Report | The average score varies between 0 and 4, with higher scores indicating a worse outcome. | Baseline, three months, and six months |
| DSM-5 Self-Rated Level 1 Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure Parent Report |
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Name | Role | Phone | Extension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kostadin Kushlev, PhD | Contact | 804-585-4385 | kk1199@georgetown.edu |
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| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgetown University | Recruiting | Washington D.C. | District of Columbia | 20057 | United States |
Demographic, clinical (self-reports and parent reports), neurocognitive (gradCPT), and passive mobile sensing data (accelerometer, GPS, keyboard input, app usage) will be collected and made available on NIMH Data Archive (NDA). All data will be de-identified prior to deposition to NDA. To request access to the data, researchers will use the standard processes at NDA, and the NDA Data Access Committee will decide which requests to grant. All code for the analyses-including statistical analysis, data transformations, and data cleaning-will be shared on the Open Science Framework (OSF). The code can be found by searching for "Kostadin Kushlev" on the Open Science Framework.
All data will be deposited to NDA starting 12 months after the award begins and will be deposited every six months thereafter following the usual NDA data submission dates.
To request access to the data, researchers will use the standard processes at NDA, and the NDA Data Access Committee will decide which requests to grant. The standard NDA data access process allows access for one year and is renewable. The protocol and code will be available on OSF to anybody with access to the internet. De-identified data associated with each publication will also be made available on OSF by the publication date of each paper.
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D000092862 | Psychological Well-Being |
| D003863 | Depression |
| D001008 | Anxiety Disorders |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D010549 | Personal Satisfaction |
| D001519 | Behavior |
| D001526 | Behavioral Symptoms |
| D001523 | Mental Disorders |
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|
The average score varies between 0 and 4, with higher scores indicating a worse outcome. |
| Baseline, three months, and six months |
The average score varies between 0 and 4, with higher scores indicating a worse outcome. |
| Baseline, three months, and six months |
| Upward Social Comparison (EMA) | Mediator measured with a single, face-valid item in EMA surveys: "Over the past 24 hours, how often have you compared yourself to someone who you believe is better off than you?" | Every three days throughout the study with two averages computed for 0 to 3 months and 3 to 6 months. |
| Offline Social Capital: Quantity of In-Person Social Interactions (EMA) | Mediator measured with a single, face-valid item in EMA surveys: "Over past 24 hours, how much time did you spend socializing in person?" | Every three days throughout the study with two averages computed for 0 to 3 months and 3 to 6 months. |
| Offline Social Capital: Quality of In-Person Social Interactions (EMA) | Mediator measured with a single, face-valid item in EMA surveys: "Over past 24 hours, how much did you enjoy your in-person social interactions with others?" | Every three days throughout the study with two averages computed for 0 to 3 months and 3 to 6 months. |
| Quantity of Online Social Interactions (Mobile Sensing) | Mediator: Quantity of digital social interactions based on the total number of words participants type on their phone keyboards each day. | Daily throughout the study with two averages computed for 0 to 3 months and 3 to 6 months. |
| Valence of Online Social Interactions (Mobile Sensing) | Mediator: Quality/valence of digital social interactions by measuring the balance between positive and negative words participants type on their phone keyboards. The valence of the words typed will first be scored using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software. The sum of the valence scores of all words will produce the final score for analysis. | Daily throughout the study with two averages computed for 0 to 3 months and 3 to 6 months. |
| Active (vs Passive) Social Media Use (Mobile Sensing) | Active usage includes creating content and direct messaging, while passive usage includes browsing, scrolling, or watching videos. Using data from the Inertial Measurement Unit (i.e., accelerometer and gyroscope data) and keyboard input (i.e. typing or not), an Extremely Randomized Trees algorithm will classify behaviors into active or passive. | Daily throughout the study with two averages computed for 0 to 3 months and 3 to 6 months. |
| Passive (vs Active) Social Media Use (Mobile Sensing) | Active usage includes creating content and direct messaging, while passive usage includes browsing, scrolling, or watching videos. Using data from the Inertial Measurement Unit (i.e., accelerometer and gyroscope data) and keyboard input (i.e. typing or not), an Extremely Randomized Trees algorithm will classify behaviors into active or passive. | Daily throughout the study with two averages computed for 0 to 3 months and 3 to 6 months. |
| Time Spent in Specific Social Media Apps (Mobile Sensing) | Time participants spend in specific social media apps as assessed unobtrusively by mobile sensing. | Daily throughout the study with two averages computed for 0 to 3 months and 3 to 6 months. |
| Parent-child conflict | Mediator measured with a single, face-valid item in EMA surveys and answered by the parent: "Over past 24 hours, my child and I did not get along. (1-not at all to 10-very much)" | Every three days for a total of 60 days (EMA) |
| Linguistic Indicators of Depression (Mobile Sensing) | Present temporal focus (i.e., using the present tense) and self-focus (i.e., using first-person pronouns) based on the language participants use while typing on their phones. | Every day for a total of 180 days |
| ADHD Inattention Symptoms | Moderator variable: Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Parent Rating Scale completed by parents as a measure of symptoms of adolescents' ADHD at baseline. For exploratory purposes, we will administer the Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Parent Rating Scale at the two follow-up assessments, as well. | Baseline |
| Sustained Attention | Moderator: Sustained attention/inhibitory control as assessed by Gradual Onset Continuous Performance Task (gradCPT), which is a go/no-go continuous performance task validated in adolescents in the target age range. The primary moderator of interest is accuracy (d') based on signal detection. For exploratory purposes, we will administer the gradCPT at the two follow-up assessments, as well. | Baseline |
| Motives for Using Social Media | Moderator: Scale of Motives for Using Social Networking Sites (SMU-SNS), designed to assess different motivations for using social media specifically in adolescents (e.g., Social Connectedness, Social Recognition, Following Others). | Baseline, three months, and six months |
| Loneliness | Exploratory measure: UCLA Loneliness Scale | Baseline, three months, and six months |
| Parenting Style | Moderator: Authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive parenting styles as assessed by the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire. | Baseline |
| Sleep | Mediator as assessed by mobile sensing data (acceleromer, GPS) | Every day for a total of 180 days |
| Physical activity | Mediator as assessed by mobile sensing data (accelerometer, GPS) | Every day for a total of 180 days |
| Parent-Imposed Restrictions on Social Media Use | A study-specific, face-valid measure assessing restrictions that parents have imposed on the adolescents' social media use overall and on their use of specific social media platforms. | Baseline, three months, and six months |
| Parent and Child Demographics | Age, sex at birth, self-identified gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and other demographics as assessed by the ABCD Parent Demographics Survey (NDA code: pdem02) and Child Demographics Survey (NDA code: child_dem01) | Baseline |
| Current and Past Mental Health Diagnoses | Parent-reported and self-reported current and past psychiatric diagnoses and developmental problems, including their severity as assessed by a modified version of the Psychiatric Diagnoses Form (NDA code: psydif01). | Eligibility Survey, Baseline, Three months, and six months |
| Current and Past Suicidal Ideation | Current and past suicidal ideation assessed as follows: Over the last two weeks, how often have you been bothered by thoughts that you would be better off dead or of hurting yourself in some way?" and "Have you ever been bothered by thoughts that you would be better off dead or of hurting yourself in some way?" | Eligibility Survey, Baseline, Three months, and six months |