Social Media Mechanisms Affecting Adolescent Mental Health (SoMe3)

Lead Research Organisation: UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
Department Name: MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit

Abstract

Adolescents estimate that they spend just under 5 hours online every day. This is almost as much time as they spend at school, with the average UK school day lasting 6.5 hours. Adolescent mental health has also declined substantially over the last decade, putting large-scale pressures on UK health services, society and the economy. This has made many concerned that digitalisation is actively damaging adolescent mental health. However, we still know relatively little about whether such concerns are warranted. This is a scientific supply issue highlighted by both the President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists ("We desperately need more research into the benefits and harms of technology use") and the UK Chief Medical Officers ("...more comprehensive research should be supported by health bodies and research institutions. An appropriate mechanism for measuring children's digital engagement needs to be developed...").

A lot of research on digitalisation and adolescent mental health has focused on social media, a particularly high-risk digital innovation. Social media is used heavily by the adolescent population (94% of 16-17s have a social media profile) and introduces changes to the social environment that could amplify pre-existing vulnerabilities. For example, peer rejection is especially salient in adolescence, and a mental health risk factor. Social media quantifies the social feedback adolescents receive from peers through 'like' counts, which could increase the salience of social feedback such as rejection, and therefore increase mental health risk (Mechanism A). Further social media allows for continued access to peers, which is very attractive to adolescents. This can lead to habitual social media use and self-control failures that impact mental health directly and indirectly (Mechanism B).

Results of research examining the link between social media use and mental ill health have however been largely inconsistent, and consensus has not moved far beyond statements that the link is complicated. This has made it very challenging to design evidence-based recommendations and interventions to address the impacts of social media across society, policy and industry (e.g., the Online Safety Bill).

My fellowship will address this issue by delivering a ground-breaking portfolio of basic and applied research. My team will take a novel mechanistic approach, investigating the mechanisms underlying the impact of social media on adolescent mental health (e.g., Mechanisms A and B, among others). We will first study these mechanisms of interest using observational data across three distinct levels of scientific explanation (experiential, algorithmic, and biological/cognitive). We will then systematically manipulate them in a longitudinal study, to test their mental health impact on an individual level. This will allow us to select two targets that will be developed and deployed in Years 5-7 of the fellowship in both policy and as an intervention that allows adolescents to experiment with changing their own social media use to improve their mental health.

This research will be complemented by an agile pipeline of co-investigation and knowledge exchange with policymakers and stakeholders to address current questions in policy and practice, to ensure this investment is continuously creating positive impact for young people throughout the fellowship. This will be supported by an internship scheme that recruits talented undergraduate students from backgrounds underrepresented in academic research to assist my team and policy partners on select summer project 'sprints'. In depth co-creation with young people and parents will further tailor research outputs and dissemination throughout the fellowship.

The evidence provided by my fellowship will therefore feed into crucial national decisions about childhood and digitalisation that will shape the lives of our children today and adults tomorrow, for decades to come.

Publications

10 25 50
 
Description This award's objectives are to: 1) Find potential mechanisms by which social media amplifies adolescents' pre- existing vulnerabilities to experiencing mental health issues (Years 1-2). 2) Identify two targets to improve adolescent mental health, one focused on intervention and one on policy (Years 3-4). 3) Engage in agile knowledge exchange partnerships with policy and practice (e.g., UNICEF, Parent Zone), providing up-to- date evidence through challenge-led research (Years 1-4). 4) Engage in best practice co-creation with adolescents and parents to guide quantitative social media and mental health research (Years 1-4). In Year 1, we have partially addressed Objective 1, 3 and 4. We have delivered work showing that risk factors such as social comparison are relevant to mental health, both clinical and non-clinical levels. We have also established co-creation mechanisms with adolescents, policymakers and parents, and are delivering on knowledge exchange partnerships with UNICEF, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and Parent Zone.
Exploitation Route The outcomes are still ongoing, but are already being taken forward by educators, policymakers and the UK government. For example, we have been commissioned to advise the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology directly on the issue of social media and smartphone use, and their impact on young people.
Sectors Communities and Social Services/Policy

Healthcare

Government

Democracy and Justice

 
Description Our findings have been submitted to three calls for evidence including: a) Departmental Inquiry on Data (Use and Access) Bill, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), January 2025; 2) Call for Evidence on Researchers' access to information from regulated online services, Ofcom, January 2025, 3) Parliamentary Inquiry about Social media, misinformation and harmful algorithms, House of Commons Science and Technology Select Committee, December 2024. They have been taken forward by the relevant departments, and I have had further calls with both DSIT and Ofcom. Our research is also at the cutting-edge of informing governmental decision making about policy regarding phones and social media use in young people. Building on our research, we have been commissioned by DSIT to develop a report outlining both the state of the evidence, the state of research funding and what types of research can get us to better evidence in this space. Our PI (Dr Amy Orben) has routine meetings with the DSIT team, including a Director General in the department, the Department for Education (for which the sits on the Scientific Advisory Council) and various other governmental departments for one-off meetings (e.g., DSHC, Home Office). Her wider team has presented this year at European Commission, Norwegian Parliament, as well as going to roundtables/workshops at the WHO, United Nations and Number 10 (incl. meeting with Prime Minister).
First Year Of Impact 2024
Sector Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice
Impact Types Societal

Policy & public services

 
Description Member of the Department for Education Science Advisory Council
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Participation in a guidance/advisory committee
Impact Giving advice across a wide range of governmental questions
 
Description Submitted to two calls for evidence from Ofcom and the Department for Science Innovation and Technology
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Contribution to a national consultation/review
Impact Better data sharing
 
Description Various meetings with senior policymakers incl. Director General at Department for science innovation and technology and presentations to MPs etc.
Geographic Reach National 
Policy Influence Type Participation in a guidance/advisory committee
Impact Allowed policymakers to understand potential of data donation
 
Description CERES Sub-Award: Connecting the EdTech Research EcoSystem
Amount $250,000 (USD)
Organisation Jacobs Foundation 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country Switzerland
Start 04/2024 
End 04/2027
 
Description Feasibility study of methods and data to understand the impact of smartphones and social media on children and young people
Amount £179,852 (GBP)
Organisation Department for Science, Innovation and Technology 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 12/2024 
End 05/2025
 
Description Promoting Well-Being in Preteens, Adolescents and Young Adults: Toward Improved Social Media Policies
Amount € 1,606,423 (EUR)
Organisation Economic and Social Research Council 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 03/2025 
End 02/2028
 
Description Real-time and randomized tests of social media and mental health interplay in early adolescence
Amount $3,742,991 (USD)
Organisation National Institutes of Health (NIH) 
Sector Public
Country United States
Start 09/2024 
End 09/2030
 
Description The environment and eating disorders: developing novel measures and hypotheses through inter-disciplinary collaborations.
Amount £1,093,377 (GBP)
Funding ID MR/X030725/1 
Organisation Medical Research Council (MRC) 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 09/2023 
End 09/2026
 
Description Born in Bradford Data Donation 
Organisation Bradford Institute for Health Research (BIHR)
Department Born in Bradford
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution I am senior advisor to data donation efforts in the Born in Bradford cohort and get access to data
Collaborator Contribution Born in Bradford is one of the UKs leading cohort studies
Impact N/A
Start Year 2024
 
Description Collaboration with over 12 universities as part of FLF 
Organisation Stanford University
Country United States 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Collaborations are crucial to my team and for my FLF I am collaborating with people across the following Universities, including notably Cambridge, Oxford, UCL, Bradford Institute of Health, York, Paris, Leiden, Rotterdam, Tilburg, Kings College London, Stanford, Georgia Tech. We provide expertise for novel research.
Collaborator Contribution Our partners also provide novel expertise for research
Impact Papers reported in this report
Start Year 2024
 
Description Collaboration with over 7 universities working on data donation (Georgia Tech, Stanford, UCLA, York, Bradford, UCL, Sydney) 
Organisation Georgia Institute of Technology
Country United States 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Data from study collected
Collaborator Contribution Help analyse data or advise on how to use data donation in their studies
Impact N/A
Start Year 2024
 
Description Computational Modelling using Social Media Data 
Organisation Stanford University
Country United States 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution We are working together to fit computational models to twitter data
Collaborator Contribution Provision of twitter data, data linkage, expertise in computational modelling
Impact 2 Grant applications have resulted from this collaboration
Start Year 2023
 
Description Computational Modelling using Social Media Data 
Organisation University of Bristol
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution We are working together to fit computational models to twitter data
Collaborator Contribution Provision of twitter data, data linkage, expertise in computational modelling
Impact 2 Grant applications have resulted from this collaboration
Start Year 2023
 
Description Computational Modelling using Social Media Data 
Organisation École Normale Supérieure, Paris
Country France 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution We are working together to fit computational models to twitter data
Collaborator Contribution Provision of twitter data, data linkage, expertise in computational modelling
Impact 2 Grant applications have resulted from this collaboration
Start Year 2023
 
Description DSIT Collaboration 
Organisation Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution Scientific expertise and internship
Collaborator Contribution Policy questions, ability to shape direct UK policy decisions
Impact Ongoing collaboration including workshops, meetings and advise to DSIT. DSIT is also co-funding an intern for us who will work on a policy report
Start Year 2024
 
Description ESRC Smart Data Research UK - Social Data Donation Service 
Organisation University of York
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution I am now key advisor for social media data donation for the UKRI SDDS
Collaborator Contribution Senior advisor, allowing data donation to take place in this 7 Million GBP investment.
Impact N/A
Start Year 2024
 
Description MRC Adolescent Health Study 
Organisation Medical Research Council (MRC)
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution I have provided a briefing paper on how to measure social media use in this new cohort
Collaborator Contribution New leading cohort will be collected
Impact One-pager
Start Year 2024
 
Description UNICEF collaboration 
Organisation UNICEF
Country United States 
Sector Public 
PI Contribution Statistical analysis and review
Collaborator Contribution Access to unique datasets
Impact Papers which are in prep and a completed internship in 2024.
Start Year 2024
 
Description Adolescent advisory boards 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Patients, carers and/or patient groups
Results and Impact My team has run multiple advisory boards of young people for our studies and have presented to schools in the process.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023,2024,2025
 
Description Advisory Boards (various) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact My team engages in various advisory boards across government and the research sector, more information can be provided on request.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2025
 
Description Engagement with schools, the arts, other researchers 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Schools
Results and Impact My team has given over 30 talks to a range of audiences about our work.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024,2025
 
Description FLF Scientific, Young Person, Policy and EDI & Research Culture Advisory Board Meetings 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact My team has convened the following FLF Advisory Boards:
2x Scientific Advisory Board
2x EDI and Research Culture Advisory Board
3x Policy Advisory Board
3x Young Person Advisory Board
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024,2025
 
Description Various national and international interviews about data access and data donation incl features in Economist 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact My team does media interviews every week that led to things like a Guardian Front Page and features in the Economist
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024,2025
 
Description Various policy roundtables engaged with (incl at No 10, EU parliament) 
Form Of Engagement Activity A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Policymakers/politicians
Results and Impact My team engages in policy roundtables at least once a month including notably No 10, EU Parliament, Government Commissions both nationally and internationally. A full list can be provided on request.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2024,2025