Social Media AddictionSMUSNCT07097545
Change in Social Media Use and Well-being Among College Students Receiving a Two-week Exercise or Mindfulness Intervention
A study testing Mindfulness, Social Media Reduction and Exercise in people with Social Media Addiction and Anxiety, run by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The investigators will be randomizing 300 college student participants with high levels of social media use into either a 1) control condition (no intervention), a 2) mindfulness meditation cognitive intervention, or 3) a social media reduction + exercise replacement intervention. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Social Media Addiction, Anxiety, Depression Disorder
- What is being tested?
- Mindfulness, Social Media Reduction and Exercise
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 300 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 24 Aug 2025to Jan 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- The participant is 18 or older.
- The participant must be a Johns Hopkins University student.
- Owning an iPhone or Android smartphone, with frequent use of social media use daily (>
- 1 hour)
- Enabling and sharing screenshots of the participant's smartphone use metrics, including number of last-week pickups, notifications received, and average screen time.
- Providing consent to participate.
- Only exercising 1 hour or less daily, on average.
Who cannot join
- younger than 18
- Not a Johns Hopkins University Student
- Doesn't own a smart phone
- Uses smartphone less than 1 hour daily
- Exercises more than 1 hour daily
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, Maryland, 21218
About this study
Official title: Social Media Use Study
The investigators will be randomizing 300 college student participants with high levels of social media use into either a 1) control condition (no intervention), a 2) mindfulness meditation cognitive intervention, or 3) a social media reduction + exercise replacement intervention. Participants complete intervention activities daily for two weeks. The investigators will collect self-report and behavioral measures of social media use and related psychological constructs at three time points: baseline, immediately after the intervention period, and one-week after the intervention period (three weeks from baseline).
Read the detailed description
The objective of this study is to test two cognitive and behavioral interventions designed to reduce social media use and improve psychological constructs related to social media use in a sample of university students. The cognitive intervention is a mindfulness meditation exercise taken from the Calm app focused around gratitude and stress management. Each meditation takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and is to be done daily for two week. The second behavioral intervention is asking participants to reduce social media use for 30 minutes daily for two weeks and replacing that time with physical exercise of the participants' choosing.
Aim 1: Compare psychological constructs related to mental health (well-being, stress, depression, anxiety, loneliness, social comparisons, etc.) before and after conducting two social media use interventions over two weeks, compared to a control condition (no intervention).
Aim 2: Compare self-reported and behavioral (smartphone screenshots of social media use screentime) measures of social media use before and after two social media use interventions over two weeks, compared to a control condition (no intervention).
Aim 3: Examine mental health and social media use one week after the intervention period is complete (3-week follow up) or testing whether the interventions have effects beyond the intervention period.
- Conditions
- Social Media Addiction, Anxiety, Depression Disorder, Wellbeing
- Being tested
- Mindfulness, Social Media Reduction, Exercise
- Keywords
- digital media reduction intervention, mindfulness, behavioral intervention, digital wellbeing
- Medical subject headings
- Internet Addiction Disorder, Anxiety Disorders
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
MindfulnessBehavioural
15 minute daily guided meditation
Social Media ReductionBehavioural
Reduce social media use at least 30 minutes daily and exercise instead
ExerciseBehavioural
Participants will exercise at least 30 minutes daily. Participants are given examples of common exercises (walking, yoga, strength training, etc.), but are allowed to choose any type, although dissuaded from activities with high potential for injury.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Control | No intervention | Participants will not receive an intervention. Participants will receive instructions to use social media use as usual. |
| Mindfulness | Experimental | Approximately 15 minute mindfulness style meditations will be completed daily for two weeks through the Calm platform. Participants can listen to the exercise on the web-enabled version of Calm, or through the smartphone app. The first course is entitled "7 Days of Gratitude" and centers around noticing and appreciating things in daily life, the second course is entitled "7 Days of managing stress" that focuses on building awareness and coping with that specific area of mental stress, such as de-escalating stress, mind-body connection, strong emotions, negative self-talk, and how events are interpreted. Receives: Behavioral: Mindfulness |
| Social Media Reduction + Exercise | Experimental | Participants will reduce social media use by at least 30 minutes daily for two weeks. Simultaneously, participants will exercise at least 30 minutes daily. Participants are given examples of common exercises (walking, yoga, strength training, etc.), but are allowed to choose any type, although dissuaded from activities with high potential for injury. Receives: Behavioral: Social Media Reduction; Behavioral: Exercise |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Change in Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 (DASS-21)
Score range = 0-63, higher score = worse outcome
Measured: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Change in World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQoLBREF) scale
Score range = 13-65, lower score = worse outcome
Measured: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Change in smartphone screen time (minutes) for social media use
Past-week amount of screen time for social media use
Measured: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Change in number of social media use smartphone pick-ups
Past-week total number of smartphone pickups for social media use applications
Measured: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Change in percent of time using social media
Past-week percent of time using social media compared to other smartphone application categories.
Measured: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Change in social media use notifications received
Past-week total number of notifications received for social media use applications
Measured: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Secondary outcomes (8)
Change in University of California, Los Angeles 3-Item Loneliness Scale
Score range = 3-9, higher score = worse outcome
Measured: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Change in The Gratitude Questionnaire, 6-item form (GQ-6) scale
Score range = 6-42, lower score = worse outcome
Measured: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Change in Motivations for Electronic Interaction Scale (MEIS)
Score range = 10-50, higher score = worse outcome
Measured: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Change in Comprehensive Assessment of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Processes (CompACT-15)
scale Score range = 0-138, lower scores = worse outcome
Measured: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Change in Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS)
Score range = 6-35, higher score = worse outcome
Measured: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Change in Fear of Missing Out Scale
Score range = 10-50, higher score = worse outcome
Measured: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Change in hours spent socializing inperson with peers
Score range = 0-20+ hours of in-person socialization, lower scores = worse outcome
Measured: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Change in number of evenings of past-week recreation
Score range = 0-7 evenings of recreation, lower scores = worse outcome
Measured: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted31 Jul 2025
- Study start24 Aug 2025
- Primary completionDec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completionJan 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Social Media AddictionStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Three groups of 1) no intervention, 2) mindfulness, or 3) social media reduction + exercise replacement intervention arms
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 300 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Johannes Thrul, PhD, Principal investigator, Johns Hopkins University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07097545
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- IRB00025926-RCT2
- Acronym
- SMUS
- Status last verified
- Dec 2025
- First submitted
- 25 Jul 2025
- Last updated
- 17 Dec 2025
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Data and other resources will be shared upon reasonable request.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 17 Dec 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Social Media Use Study
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07097545
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- SMUS / IRB00025926-RCT2
- Conditions
- Social Media Addiction, Anxiety, Depression Disorder, Wellbeing
- Keywords
- digital media reduction intervention, mindfulness, behavioral intervention, digital wellbeing
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 300 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public HealthUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 24 Aug 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Dec 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Jan 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 31 Jul 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The investigators will be randomizing 300 college student participants with high levels of social media use into either a 1) control condition (no intervention), a 2) mindfulness meditation cognitive intervention, or 3) a social media reduction + exercise replacement intervention. Participants complete intervention activities daily for two weeks. The investigators will collect self-report and behavioral measures of social media use and related psychological constructs at three time points: baseline, immediately after the intervention period, and one-week after the intervention period (three weeks from baseline).
Detailed description
The objective of this study is to test two cognitive and behavioral interventions designed to reduce social media use and improve psychological constructs related to social media use in a sample of university students. The cognitive intervention is a mindfulness meditation exercise taken from the Calm app focused around gratitude and stress management. Each meditation takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and is to be done daily for two week. The second behavioral intervention is asking participants to reduce social media use for 30 minutes daily for two weeks and replacing that time with physical exercise of the participants' choosing.
Aim 1: Compare psychological constructs related to mental health (well-being, stress, depression, anxiety, loneliness, social comparisons, etc.) before and after conducting two social media use interventions over two weeks, compared to a control condition (no intervention).
Aim 2: Compare self-reported and behavioral (smartphone screenshots of social media use screentime) measures of social media use before and after two social media use interventions over two weeks, compared to a control condition (no intervention).
Aim 3: Examine mental health and social media use one week after the intervention period is complete (3-week follow up) or testing whether the interventions have effects beyond the intervention period.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 3
- Model description
- Three groups of 1) no intervention, 2) mindfulness, or 3) social media reduction + exercise replacement intervention arms
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Control | No intervention | –Participants will not receive an intervention. Participants will receive instructions to use social media use as usual. |
| Mindfulness | Experimental | Behavioral: MindfulnessApproximately 15 minute mindfulness style meditations will be completed daily for two weeks through the Calm platform. Participants can listen to the exercise on the web-enabled version of Calm, or through the smartphone app. The first course is entitled "7 Days of Gratitude" and centers around noticing and appreciating things in daily life, the second course is entitled "7 Days of managing stress" that focuses on building awareness and coping with that specific area of mental stress, such as de-escalating stress, mind-body connection, strong emotions, negative self-talk, and how events are interpreted. |
| Social Media Reduction + Exercise | Experimental | Behavioral: Social Media Reduction, Behavioral: ExerciseParticipants will reduce social media use by at least 30 minutes daily for two weeks. Simultaneously, participants will exercise at least 30 minutes daily. Participants are given examples of common exercises (walking, yoga, strength training, etc.), but are allowed to choose any type, although dissuaded from activities with high potential for injury. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (7 listed)
- The participant is 18 or older.
- The participant must be a Johns Hopkins University student.
- Owning an iPhone or Android smartphone, with frequent use of social media use daily (>
- 1 hour)
- Enabling and sharing screenshots of the participant's smartphone use metrics, including number of last-week pickups, notifications received, and average screen time.
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- younger than 18
- Not a Johns Hopkins University Student
- Doesn't own a smart phone
- Uses smartphone less than 1 hour daily
- Exercises more than 1 hour daily
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness15 minute daily guided meditation | Behavioural | Mindfulness |
| Social Media ReductionReduce social media use at least 30 minutes daily and exercise instead | Behavioural | Social Media Reduction + Exercise |
| ExerciseParticipants will exercise at least 30 minutes daily. Participants are given examples of common exercises (walking, yoga, strength training, etc.), but are allowed to choose any type, although dissuaded from activities with high potential for injury. | Behavioural | Social Media Reduction + Exercise |
Primary outcome
Change in Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 (DASS-21)
Time frame: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Score range = 0-63, higher score = worse outcome
Change in World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQoLBREF) scale
Time frame: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Score range = 13-65, lower score = worse outcome
Change in smartphone screen time (minutes) for social media use
Time frame: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Past-week amount of screen time for social media use
Change in number of social media use smartphone pick-ups
Time frame: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Past-week total number of smartphone pickups for social media use applications
Change in percent of time using social media
Time frame: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Past-week percent of time using social media compared to other smartphone application categories.
Change in social media use notifications received
Time frame: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Past-week total number of notifications received for social media use applications
8 secondary outcomes
Change in University of California, Los Angeles 3-Item Loneliness Scale
Time frame: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Change in The Gratitude Questionnaire, 6-item form (GQ-6) scale
Time frame: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Change in Motivations for Electronic Interaction Scale (MEIS)
Time frame: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Change in Comprehensive Assessment of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Processes (CompACT-15)
Time frame: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Change in Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS)
Time frame: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Change in Fear of Missing Out Scale
Time frame: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Change in hours spent socializing inperson with peers
Time frame: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Change in number of evenings of past-week recreation
Time frame: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 17 Dec 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Data and other resources will be shared upon reasonable request.
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Social Media Withdrawal in Pregnancy: Effects on Maternal Mental Health and Misinformation
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4-STEP-Training Program for Doomscrolling, Cyberchondriac Behavior and Psychiatric Symptoms (4-STEP-TPS) Among Individuals With Social Media Addiction
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Enrolling by invitationObservational study
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Johannes Thrul, PhD principal investigator
Johns Hopkins University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Mindfulness, Social Media Reduction and Exercise in people with Social Media Addiction and Anxiety, run by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 17 Dec 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Johannes Thrul, PhD ((443) 318-6633, jthrul@jhu.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Change in Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 (DASS-21) (time frame: baseline, immediately post intervention, post intervention up to one week). The study lists 6 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 17 Dec 2025.