Loneliness in the digital world: Co-developing smartphone-based research to examine how online social experiences impact adolescent mental health

Young people today are 'digital natives'. Using digital technologies like smartphones is commonplace and 'second nature' for young people. Young people increasingly communicate online, strengthening existing bonds and finding new ones. However, many fear the increasing time young people spend online may harm their mental health, particularly that online interactions may not offer the same opportunities for emotional growth and support as offline interactions, contributing to feelings of loneliness. Our study aims to investigate the impact of online and offline social interactions on feelings of loneliness using new methods of data collection and analysis, and at the same time develop best-practice guidelines for future research using these methods that suits the needs of young people and fits within their daily lives.
We will build on a new research method called Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA). Despite mass take-up of digital technologies in young people, researchers have been slow to embed these into research, which is often still conducted using long questionnaires, are not always appealing to young people, and rarely offer opportunities to collect data on experiences as they happen. EMA is different - it collects brief snapshots of data several times a day through smartphone apps. We will use this technology to collect rich, real-time data over many time-points, while also making sure the tools used are appealing to young people.
There is currently insufficient work to ensure EMA suits the needs of young people, or that measures used are reliable and appropriate. There is still little understanding of what young people think about EMA research and how it can fit into their busy lives, especially in younger adolescents (12-15yrs); an important developmental period for the emergence of mental ill health. We will form a Young Person's Advisory Group (YPAG) of ~10 young people 12-15yrs from diverse backgrounds, recruited through an existing large group of research participants called 'Generation Scotland' and organisations such as SHINE and YouthLink Scotland. Working with these young people, we will establish best practice guidance for conducting EMA in this age group. We will also co-produce a research protocol for a new EMA study on how online and offline social acceptance and rejection impacts loneliness and wellbeing in young people. We will consult with other stakeholders, e.g. parents and educators, to ensure that this study is feasible, appropriate and doesn't conflict with school or family life. This work will be published as a formal scientific paper, co-written with members of the YPAG. We will also seek the YPAGs views on using digital tools for mental health treatments and interventions, informing future use of these methods in clinical practice.
We will then conduct a full study (N=200 young people, 12-15 years from Generation Scotland) using this protocol. While final details of the study will be decided through YPAG consultations, we anticipate participants will take part over 14 days, completing short surveys 3-4 times a day, considering their most notable social interaction since the last survey. They will answer questions like whether this was social acceptance or rejection; whether it was online or offline; and their relationship with this person (e.g., a peer, teacher, family member, stranger). They will then answer questions about their mood and feelings of loneliness. Through this, we will illuminate how online and offline social interaction impact loneliness, well-being, and mental health in young people.
At the end of the project, the data will become part of the Generation Scotland study, meaning it will be safely stored long-term and allow linkage of our data to other existing and future information on these young people, such as health records or genetic data. Finally, other researchers will be able to access and use the data through Generation Scotland's established access route

Young people spend increasing amounts of time using mobile technologies. However, many fear this may harm mental health and contribute to feelings of loneliness. Digital technologies themselves however offer great potential as an innovative tool for mental health research. They are cost-effective, assess subjective experience in real-time, and can be made appealing to young people. One method growing in popularity is ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Despite this, there is insufficient work ensuring EMA is psychometrically robust, secure, and tailored to the needs of this target community.
This project will address these methodological gaps. First, we will establish a project-specific young persons' advisory group (YPAG). The YPAG will develop a protocol for conducting EMA research on social interaction and loneliness in adolescents, as well as assess how EMA can better suit the needs of young people, parents, and educators.
Second, we will conduct a full-scale proof-of-concept EMA study of 200 young people, 12-15yrs. Over two weeks, participants will report on their most salient social interactions 3-4 times a day, including whether the interaction was online/offline, was rejection/acceptance, and their mood and feelings of loneliness at the time. This will permit new understanding of the impact of digital social interactions on young people, with consequent implications for informing future policy and clinical practice.
This project will establish governance, ethical and technical standards for future co-produced research in young people. The protocol and measurement tools will be made freely available for other researchers' use. Data collected will join Generation Scotland infrastructure, allowing detailed record linkage, long-term follow-up, and access for future research. Finally, we will produce peer-reviewed publications advancing knowledge of adolescent loneliness in the digital world.