Actively Recruiting
Teen Brain Online II: Understanding How Social Media Affects the Teen Brain
Led by University of Pittsburgh · Updated on 2026-05-06
60
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
105 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
Sponsors
U
University of Pittsburgh
Lead Sponsor
N
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Collaborating Sponsor
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
There has been much interest in the potential role of social media (SM) use in driving a current mental health crisis among teens, with a dire need for evidence that goes beyond self-report. One important avenue is to understand the role of the brain in driving the effects of SM use on emotional health and vice versa. However, there is almost no research addressing these questions, largely due to a lack of tasks that can probe the neural correlates of modern SM use. The goal of this clinical trial is to develop and validate a new developmentally-appropriate and ecologically-valid functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and eyetracking task, the TeenBrainOnline (TBO) Task, that is more realistic and similar to modern SM platforms. Participants will be 50 teens (ages 13-17) with depressive symptoms who will complete the final version of TBO task during fMRI with eye-tracking, an older Chatroom Interact (CHAT-I) Task, daily surveys of SM use, and measures of depressive symptoms. Our goal is to show that the task works by: * Demonstrating that it activates expected regions of the brain and visual attention biases toward feedback cues. * Showing that brain and eyetracking (visual attention) activity on the task explain variability in depressive symptoms at baseline and three months later, and work better than similar indices from an older task. * Showing that brain and eyetracking (visual attention) activity on the task are associated with real-world measures of social media use collected during daily surveys. Specifically, The investigators expect that teens whose brain and eyetracking activity suggests they are more sensitive to feedback on SM will report a social evaluation orientation toward social media use in daily life, such as engaging a lot in social comparison, worrying about missing out, and caring about getting a lot of likes and comments. Participants will be asked to: * complete a 10-15 minute screening call to determine eligibility for the study * complete one 90 minute virtual study visit to complete questionnaires and prepare for the MRI visit (visit 1) * submit 24 photos to our study specific social media site * complete an (in person) MRI scan visit (\~4 hours), which consists of 2 tasks where they will interact with peers (visit 2) * complete \~5 minute smartphone surveys 3 times a day for 16 days, asking about their daily experiences online and emotional reactions. * complete 2 online questionnaires asynchronously 3 months after their scan date
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Teen Brain Online II: Understanding How Social Media Affects the Teen Brain
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Between ages 13-17
- Depression screening scores on the MFQ-C in the mild (MFQ = 12-25) or moderate-to-severe range (MFQ 625)
- Possess their own smartphone to complete web-based ecological momentary assessments (EMA) using WebDataExpress
- Use social media apps (e.g., Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, Discord, YouTube) at least 3 times a week on average, per teen report
You will not qualify if you...
- Presence of a serious neurological or medical condition, by parent report
- Unable to read or speak English or cognitive impairment preventing ability to complete assessments
- Hearing impairment preventing ability to hear and understand instructions via headphones in the MRI scanner
- Possible pregnancy, as determined by participant report
- Presence of probable substance use disorder, as determined by participant report
- Presence of MRI contraindications such as dental braces, metallic foreign objects in the body, claustrophobia, or weight above 300 lbs
- Taking medications that affect the central nervous system other than stable-dose antidepressants or stimulants if required 36 hours before the scan
- Previous completion of Chatroom Interact Task or TBO Task in prior studies
- Screening positive on the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire or for potential psychotic or substance use disorders
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
Complete this quick 3-step screening to check your eligibility
Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15213
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
J
Jennifer S Silk, Ph.D
CONTACT
S
Sarah E Nelson, B.S.
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
NONE
Allocation
NA
Model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Number of Arms
1
Not the Right Trial for You?
Explore thousands of other clinical trials that might be a better match.
Sign up to get personalized trial recommendations delivered to your inbox.
Already have an account? Log in here