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Teen Brain Online II: Understanding How Social Media Affects the Teen Brain
NCT06817993 · View on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
Study Summary
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 *
Conditions Studied
Interventions
- BEHAVIORAL Rejection and Acceptance Feedback
Study Locations (1)
Pennsylvania
- University of Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh
Trial Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Enrollment Target | 60 participants |
| Start Date | 2025-03-21 |
| Est. Completion | 2026-08-30 |
| Phase | NA |
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Full Details on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗What the Registry Record Tells You About NCT06817993
The ClinicalTrials.gov registry entry for NCT06817993 describes a study currently listed as recruiting. It is categorized as NA, which is the standard way researchers label where a study sits along the investigational pathway from early safety work through later efficacy and post-marketing evaluation. The registered enrollment target is 60 participants, a figure that helps gauge the scale of data the investigators plan to collect. The listed sponsor is University of Pittsburgh, which has 1,082 total studies on file at ClinicalTrials.gov, and sponsors are the parties responsible for study design, oversight, and regulatory filings.
The record links to 1 condition, with Depression appearing as the primary indexed condition, and to 1 intervention — of which Rejection and Acceptance Feedback is the first listed. Interventions can include drugs, devices, procedures, behavioral programs, or observational arms, and each is tracked as a separate registry field so that downstream queries can filter accurately. When a trial lists multiple interventions, it usually reflects a multi-arm design or a comparison protocol rather than a single treatment being tested in isolation. The brief summary published in the registry is the clearest source of protocol intent and should be read before drawing conclusions from any sidebar tags.
Geographic footprint matters for practical reasons: NCT06817993 reports 1 study location spanning 1 distinct geographic area — top geographies include Pennsylvania. A larger site network tends to correlate with broader recruitment capacity, but it does not imply anything about study quality, and site-level enrollment status can diverge from the overall registry status shown above. Every data point on this page comes from the public ClinicalTrials.gov dataset and is reproduced here for reference only; it is not a medical recommendation, an endorsement of the sponsor, or an invitation to enroll. Verify current status, eligibility criteria, and contact details directly at ClinicalTrials.gov, and discuss any participation decision with your own healthcare provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is clinical trial NCT06817993 about?
NCT06817993 is a clinical study titled "Teen Brain Online II: Understanding How Social Media Affects the Teen Brain". 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 hea...
What is the current status of trial NCT06817993?
This trial is currently recruiting. It is a NA study. The enrollment target is 60 participants. The study started on 2025-03-21. Estimated completion is 2026-08-30.
What conditions does trial NCT06817993 study?
This clinical trial studies the following conditions: Depression. These conditions were identified from the trial registry and reflect the primary focus areas of the research.
What interventions are being tested in trial NCT06817993?
The interventions under investigation include: Rejection and Acceptance Feedback (BEHAVIORAL). Each intervention is being evaluated for safety and efficacy as part of this clinical study.
Who is sponsoring clinical trial NCT06817993?
This trial is sponsored by University of Pittsburgh, which has 1,082 total clinical trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. The sponsor is responsible for the study's design, funding, and regulatory compliance.
Where is trial NCT06817993 being conducted?
This trial has 1 study location across Pennsylvania. Contact the study sites directly through ClinicalTrials.gov for enrollment availability.
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