Over the course of a two-day, virtual research retreat on May 24th and 25th, 2021, more than 120 international, interdisciplinary researchers, clinicians, and government agency representatives met to discuss the impacts of digital media on children’s mental health. The group bridged the fields of psychology, psychiatry, communication, medicine, neuroscience, social work, public health, data science, addiction treatment, and pediatrics, and proposed a comprehensive national research agenda around mental health, young people, and digital media use, identifying what is so compelling about digital media, how these tools impact mental health, and where more study is critically needed. Titled Digital Media And Mental Health, the retreat offered a kaleidoscopic view of the many ways digital media and young people’s mental health outcomes interact, and what can be done to address these concerns from a holistic perspective.
“Children and Screens convened this first-of-its-kind mental health summit to bring together the experts in the fields of child development, mental health, and screen media to better understand the complex associations between young people’s use of digital media and their mental health. I am pleased that, as a result, a critical research agenda has been established that will chart the course of scientific inquiry for years to come.” - Dr. Pamela Hurst-Della Pietra, President and Founder, Children and Screens
Overarching themes of the retreat included an acknowledgement that there is no doubt that young people’s mental health is in a fragile position; this has only been exacerbated by a year of social distancing, virtual school, online extracurricular activities, social unrest, and health crises. Digital media have a unique role in both contributing to and ameliorating mental health concerns for children and adolescents, though the nuances of these associations are yet to be fully understood. It is critical to understand how children are managing their time online, which children are most susceptible to its negative influences, how the screen time is affecting engagement with siblings and families, and how factors like content, context, and quantity of screen time impact these associations.
Detailed findings from Digital Media And Mental Health will be published in one or more white papers in the coming months, outlining the state of the science, where we must go next, and concrete ideas for new research on these topics. Children and Screens is announcing the opportunity for participants to apply for $100,000 worth of seed funding for novel, objective, interdisciplinary, multi-institutional research to implement the research agenda discussed.
Participants
* Planning Committee Member
| Nicholas Allen, PhD | Professor of Clinical Psychology, Director of Clinical Training, Director, Center for Digital Mental Health, Department of Psychology, University of Oregon |
| Craig Anderson, PhD | Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Iowa State University |
| Lynsay Ayer, PhD | Suicide Prevention Program Consultant, National Institute of Mental Health; Senior Behavioral Scientist, RAND Corporation |
| * Kara Bagot, MD | Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine |
| Erin Belfort, MD | Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Maine Medical Center |
| Jay Belsky, PhD | Robert M. and Natalie Reid Dorn Professor of Human Development, University of California, Davis |
| Ine Beyens, PhD | Assistant Professor, Center for Research on Children, Adolescents, and the Media, Amsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam |
| David Bickham, PhD | Research Scientist, Clinical Psychologist, Department of Adolescent Medicine and Digital Wellness Lab, Instructor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School |
| Julia Brailovskaia, PhD | Postdoctoral Researcher, Mental Health Research and Treatment Center, Rhur-Universität Bochum |
| Florence Breslin, MS | Program Director of Clinical Registry Systems, National Center for Wellness and Recovery, Hardesty Center for Clinical Research and Neuroscience, Oklahoma State University - Center for Health Sciences |
| Jeanne Brockmyer, PhD | Distinguished University Professor of Psychology, Emerita, University of Toledo |
| Dillon Browne, PhD | Canada Research Chair in Child and Family Clinical Psychology, Assistant Professor, Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, University of Waterloo |
| Kaitlyn Burnell, PhD | Postdoctoral Associate, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University |
| Nicholas Carson, MD, FRPC | Medical Director, Child and Adolescent Outpatient Psychiatry; Clinical Research Associate; Health Equity Research Lab; Assistant Professor in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School |
| Hilarie Cash, PhD, LMHC, CSAT | Founding Member; Chief Clinical Officer; Education Director, reSTART Gaming and Internet Treatment Program |
| Linda Charmaraman, PhD | Senior Research Scientist, Wellesley Centers for Women |
| Jason Chein, PhD | Professor of Psychology; Director, TUBRIC Imaging Center, Temple University |
| Sophia Choukas-Bradley, PhD | Assistant Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Delaware |
| Dimitri Christakis, MD, MPH | Director, Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute; Editor-in-chief, JAMA Pediatrics |
| Christoph Correll, MD | Professor of Psychiatry and Molecular Medicine, Zucker School of Medicine and Hofstra/Northwell |
| Sarah Coyne, PhD | Professor, Associate Director, School of Family Life, Brigham Young University |
| Wendy Craig, PhD | Scientific Director of PREVNet; Professor of Psychology, Queen's University |
| Chuck Czeisler, MD, PhD | Senior Physician, Brigham and Women's Hospital; Professor of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School |
| Katie Davis, EdD | Associate Professor and PhD Program Chair, Information School, University of Washington |
| Kelly Davis, MS | Associate Vice President of Peer and Youth Advocacy, Mental Health America |
| Zsolt Demetrovics, PhD, DSc | Chair of Centre of Excellence in Responsible Gaming, University of Gibraltar |
| Stephanie Diez-Morel, PhD, LCSW, IGDC, MCAP | Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania; Founder, Reboot and Recover |
| Gail Dines, PhD | President and CEO of Culture Reframed; Professor Emerita of Sociology and Women's Studies at Wheelock College |
| Sarah Domoff, PhD | Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Central Michigan University; Research Faculty Affiliate, School of Public Health, University of Michigan |
| Caitlin Elsaesser, MAT, LICSW, PhD | Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, University of Connecticut |
| * Elizabeth Englander, PhD | Executive Director, Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center at Bridgewater State University |
| Layla Esposito, PhD | Program Director, Child Development and Behavior Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development |
| Jasmine Fardouly, PhD | Research Fellow, Centre for Emotional Health, Macquarie University |
| Meredith Gansner, MD | Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Instructor in Psychiatry, Cambridge Health Alliance |
| Michelle Garrison, PhD | Associate Professor, School of Public Health, Seattle Children's Research Institute: Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development, University of Washington: School of Medicine - Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry |
| Doug Gentile, PhD | Professor of Psychology, Iowa State University |
| Traci Gillig, PhD | Assistant Professor, College of Communication, Washington State University |
| Diana Graber, MA | Co-Founder, CyberWise; Founder, Cyber Civics |
| David Greenfield, PhD | Founder, Center for Internet and Technology Addiction; Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine |
| James A. Griffin, PhD | Chief, Child Development and Behavior Branch, Early Learning and School Readiness Research Program, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development |
| Mark Griffiths, PhD | Distinguished Professor, Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Nottingham Trent University |
| Lauren Hale, PhD | Professor of Family, Population and Preventive Medicine, Stony Brook Medicine |
| Jessica Hamilton, PhD | Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology, Rutgers University |
| Lauren Hartstein, PhD | Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Colorado Boulder |
| Daniel Hipp, PhD | Advanced Research Fellow in Polytrauma, Denver VA Medical Center; Research Consultant, Digital Media Treatment and Education Center |
| Elizabeth Hoge, MD | Associate Professor and Director of the Anxiety Disorders Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Georgetown University School of Medicine |
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* Pam Hurst-Della Pietra, D.O. |
Founder and President, Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development; Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatric Public Health, Department of Family, Population & Preventive Medicine, Stony Brook Medicine |
| Doug Hyun Han, MD, PhD | Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Chung-Ang University |
| Charmain Jackman, PhD | Founder, InnoPsych, Inc; Clinical Psycholgist |
| Johanna Jarcho, PhD | Assistant Professor, Cognition and Neuroscience Area, Social Area, Social Area Director, Department of Psychology, Temple University |
| Michaeline Jensen, PhD | Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro |
| * Kris Kaliebe, MD | Associate Professor, Psychiatry; College of Medicine, Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, University of South Florida |
| Betul Keles | PhD Student, University of Limerick |
| Bianca Klettke, PhD | Senior Lecturer, School of Psychology, Deakin University |
| Robin Kowalski, PhD | Professor of Psychology, Clemson University |
| Louise La Sala, PhD | Research Assistant, Orygen, National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, Australia |
| Matthew Lapierre, PhD | Assistant Professor of Communication, University of Arizona |
| Monique LeBourgeois, PhD | Associate Professor, Integrative Psychology, University of Colorado Boulder |
| Steve S Lee, PhD | Professor, Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles |
| Amanda Lenhart | Program Director, Health and Data, Data & Society |
| Megan K. Maas, PhD | Assistant Professor, Human Development and Family Studies, Michigan State University |
| * Sheri Madigan, PhD | Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Calgary |
| Tracy Markle, MA, LPC | Founder, Co-Owner, Co-Director, Digital Media Treatment and Education Center |
| Becky Mars, PhD | Vice Chancellor Fellow, Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol Medical School |
| Rachel Marsh, PhD | Professor of Medical Psychology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center; Director, MRI Research Program, New York State Psychiatric Institute |
| Brae McArthur, PhD | Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary |
| Brandon McDaniel, PhD | Research Scientist, Health Services and Informatics Research, Mirro Center for Research and Innovation, Parkview Research Center |
| Lauren B McInroy, MSW, PhD | Assistant Professor, College of Social Work, The Ohio State University |
| Dar Meshi, PhD | Assistant Professor, College of Communication Arts and Sciences, Department of Advertising and Public Relations, Michigan State University |
| Michael Milham, MD, PhD | Vice President of Research; Director, Center for the Developing Brain; Director, Healthy Brain Network; Senior Pediatric Psychopharmacologist, Child Mind Institute |
| Amy Nathanson, PhD | Professor, School of Communication, The Ohio State University |
| Jacqueline Nesi, PhD | Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School, Brown University |
| Stephen O'Connor, PhD | Health Scientist Administrator/Program Officer, National Institute of Mental Health |
| Meghan Owenz, PhD | Assistant Teaching Professor, Rehabilitation and Human Services, Penn State Berks |
| Martin Paulus, MD | Scientific Director and President, Laureate Institute for Brain Research |
| Jessica Piotrowski, PhD | Associate Professor, School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam |
| Koen Ponnet, PhD | Professor, Department of Communication Sciences, Ghent University |
| * Marc Potenza, PhD, MD | Professor of Psychiatry in the Child Study Center and of Neuroscience; Yale School of Medicine |
| Mitch Prinstein, PhD | Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Assistant Dean, Honors Carolina, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Stephanie Reich, PhD | Professor, School of Education, University of California - Irvine |
| Jo Robertson | Sex Therapist and Research Lead at The Light Project, New Zealand |
| Dan Romer, PhD | Research Director, Annenberg Public Policy Center, University of Pennsylvania |
| Mary Rooney, PhD | Clinical Psychologist; Chief, Child and Adolescent Psychosocial Interventions Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health |
| * Larry Rosen, PhD | Professor Emeritus and Past Chair, Psychology Department, California State University |
| Hans-Juergen Rumpf, PhD | Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Lübeck |
| Galia Siegel, PhD | Acting Branch Chief, Clinical Trials Operations Branch, Office of Clinical Research, National Institute of Mental Health |
| Amy Slater, PhD | Associate Professor, Centre for Appearance Research, University of the West of England, Bristol |
| Leah Somerville, PhD | Professor, Director, Affective Neuroscience and Development Lab, Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Psychology, Harvard University |
| Ed Spector, PsyD | Psychologist, Spector Therapy |
| Vasileios Stavropoulos, PhD | Senior Lecturer, Clinical Psychology, Australian Research Council DECRA Fellow, College of Health and Biomedicine and Institute for Health and Sport, Victoria University |
| Catherine Steiner-Adair, EdD | Clinical Psychologist, Consultant, Speaker, Author |
| Jennifer Stevens Aubrey, PhD | Associate Professor; Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Communication, University of Arizona |
| Kaveri Subrahmanyam, PhD | Professor of Psychology, College of Natural and Social Sciences, California State University, Los Angeles |
| An-Pyng Sun, PhD, LCSW, LCADC | Professor, School of Social Work, University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
| Clifford Sussman, MD | Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist |
| Susan Tapert, PhD | Professor of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego |
| Jeff Temple, PhD | Distinguished Chair in Community Health, Professor, Department of Ob/Gyn, Director, Center for Violence Prevention, University of Texas Medical Branch |
| Moriah Thomason, PhD | Associate Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; Associate Professor, Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine |
| Neil Thurman, PhD | Professor, Institute of Communication Studies and Media Research, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich |
| Michael Tsappis, MD | Director of Psychiatric Services, Pediatric Health Care Associates, Harvard Medical School |
| Patti Valkenburg, PhD | Distinguished Professor of Communication, University of Amsterdam |
| Joris Van Ouytsel, PhD | Assistant Professor, Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, Arizona State University |
| Teresa Vente, DO, MPH | Attending Physician, Palliative Care; Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago |
| Carol Vidal, MD, MPH | Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins Medicine |
| Sebastian Wachs, PhD | Deputy Professor of Media Education, University of Potsdam; Honorary Research Fellow, ABC Dublin |
| Wayne Warburton, PhD | Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University |
| * Paul Weigle, MD | Associate Medical Director, Natchaug Hospital Ambulatory Services; Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist; Chair, Media Committee, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry |
| Emily Weinstein, EdD | Postdoctoral Fellow, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University |
| Janis Whitlock, PhD | Research Scientist, Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research, Human Development, Cornell Institute for Public Affairs |
| Michelle Wright, PhD | Research Associate in Psychology, Penn State University |
| Michele Ybarra, MPH, PhD | President and Research Director, Center for Innovative Public Health Research |
| Julia Zehr, PhD | Branch Chief, Developmental Mechanisms and Trajectories of Psychopathology Branch, Division of Translational Research, National Institute of Mental Health |
| Jamie Zelazny, PhD, MPH, RN | Assistant Professor, Health and Community Systems, University of Pittsburgh |
