Current Research 

Does Social Media Cause Poor Mental Health in Youth?

Adolescent mental health in the United States has fallen sharply since 2011, around the time social media and smartphones took off. But did social media cause that decline, or are the fears about it overblown? To find out, we are running the first field experiment with 10-to-14-year-olds, testing whether, how, and for whom social media harms mental health. The study will produce a large, rich dataset, including text data, that we will share with other researchers. It is funded by an R01 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, and we are recruiting participants now NIMH). We are currently recruiting participants. Learn more HERE.

How does Social Media legislation impact adolescent well-being?

As social media becomes increasingly prevalent throughout society, focus is beginning to be placed on its potential negative effects, particularly for adolescents. To that end, lawmakers around the world are passing a variety of forms of legislation that will regulate youth access to social media. However, considerable uncertainty remains about these laws' real-world impact.

Two key concerns drive this uncertainty. First, it is difficult to predict how effective these laws will be given the limited causal evidence about social media's effects on adolescent mental health. Further, laws could unintentionally restrict access to vital online resources and communities, hinder digital skill development, or drive users to migrate to less regulated and potentially more harmful platforms.

Our lab wants to learn how effective new laws are in their aim of improving adolescent well-being and to capture potential unintended consequences. We are studying three different pieces of social media legislation to answer these questions: (1) Australia’s Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024; (2) Nebraska’s Age-Appropriate Online Design Code Act; and (3) Virginia’s Consumer Data Protection Act. Our goal is for our findings to impact future policy-making decisions. See more HERE.

Does Digital detox work?

Smartphone overuse is often linked to poor sleep, reduced focus, and worse mental health. A popular solution is the “digital detox”—brief breaks from device use—but do these actually work? Despite the hype, there is little scientific evidence on whether short, sustainable digital detox habits can meaningfully improve well-being. We study both everyday interventions, like short “digital detoxes” before bed, and more radical changes, such as blocking mobile internet access. Findings show a paradox: while it is difficult for people to sustain digital detox habits, reducing constant connectivity—even temporarily—can improve mood, attention, and mental health for many users. Read our latest research on this topic HERE and HERE.

Does Ai Increase or Hamper Human Creativity?

AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude can make any one person more creative. But if we all lean on the same models, our ideas may start to look alike, leaving the whole pool of human creativity narrower than before. We are studying this tension between individual gains and collective sameness. As part of the work, we built a new measure, the diversity growth rate, that tracks how AI-generated content shapes the variety of what people create over time.

Why Do People Use Their Smartphones More Than They Should?

Smartphone use has been shown to have negative effects on people's sleep, social interactions, mental health, and ability to focus. These negative impacts are frequently discussed in the media. However, despite widespread coverage, there appears to be little change in how individuals use their smartphones. This discrepancy raises important questions about the factors influencing smartphone usage patterns. We are currently investigating whether this persistent behavior stems from a lack of awareness of the negative effects, an underestimation of personal impact, or insufficient knowledge of available resources to manage smartphone use. By examining these potential explanations, we hope to gain insights into more effective strategies for promoting healthier digital habits.