Methodological considerations for social media intervention studies

Investor logo

Warning

This publication doesn't include Faculty of Arts. It includes Faculty of Social Studies. Official publication website can be found on muni.cz.
Authors

VANDEN ABEELE Maria M. P. MURPHY Stephen L LEMAHIEU Laura KOSTER Ernst H W

Year of publication 2025
Type Peer-reviewed scientific article
Magazine / Source Nature Reviews Psychology
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Social Studies

Citation
web
Doi https://doi.org/10.1038/s44159-025-00474-6
Keywords social media; adolescents; well-being
Attached files
Description There is extensive debate about the effects of social media use on well-being. However, evidence central to this debate is lacking because of an inability to confirm a causal link through experimental research. The rise of social media intervention experiments to tackle this issue represents a positive change for the field. However, these studies are encumbered by methodological challenges that prevent a clear take-home message from this literature. In this Perspective, we discuss key methodological considerations for experimental intervention studies on social media use and provide recommendations for how researchers could design their research and interpret their results to mitigate or avoid these challenges in future.
Related projects:

You are running an old browser version. We recommend updating your browser to its latest version.