UMN Teen Social Media Study

Are you a teen (ages 13-17) with a smartphone?

Help University of Minnesota scientists research how teens use social media!

Study Information

The University of Minnesota (UMN) Teen Social Media Study is researching how teens (13-17 years old) use social media. Our goal is to understand these habits and the impacts social media may have on their mental health.

Study will be completed online, all teens living across the United States are welcome to participate

Participants will be asked to:

Complete an eligibility survey
Attend a Zoom meeting with a research staff, together with a parent or guardian, to enroll in the study
Complete one pre-survey (10-20 minutes)
Complete a daily survey for 14 days straight (5-10 minutes each)
Complete one final survey after the 14 daily surveys (10-20 minutes)

Participants will be compensated with up to $50 via electronic gift cards for their involvement.

All data will be stored in a secure server at the University of Minnesota to protect your privacy. All your data will be kept confidential and will only be used for research purposes. It will not be sold or shared for commercial purposes. To learn more about how we protect the confidentiality of our participants, please read: Teen Assent Form

I want to test my/my teen's eligibility

Privacy Statement

This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Minnesota. If you have any questions about participating in this study, please email us at teensocialmedia@umn.edu or call us at (612) 626-7666.

Principal Investigator

Xiaoran Sun, Ph.D
Assistant Professor of Family Social Science

College of Education and Human Development
University of Minnesota
Contact: sunx0521@umn.edu | (612) 626-7666

Research Staff

Jillian Anderson, M.A.
Celia Tseyen Lee, M.S.
Teagan Beckley, B.S.
Ting Xu, Ph.D Candidate
Yuxiang Wan, Ph.D Candidate

Co-Investigators

Jodi Dworkin, Ph.D, Associate Dept Head, Family Social Science, UMN
Meredith Gunlicks-Stoessel, Ph.D, L.P., Clinical Psychologist, Associate Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UMN
Thomas Robinson, M.D., MPH, Board Certified Pediatrician, Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine, Stanford University
Timothy Piehler, Ph.D, L.P., Clinical Psychologist, Associate Professor, Family Social Science, UMN
Kyle Nickodem, Ph.D, Director of the Research Methodology Consulting Center, UMN
Ju Sun, Ph.D, Assistant Professor, Computer Science and Engineering, UMN