Change in Social Media Use and Well-being Among College Students Receiving a Two-week Exercise or Mindfulness Intervention
Social Media Use Study
Who can join
Ages 18 and older · All sexes · Healthy volunteers welcome
Full eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * 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. Exclusion Criteria: * 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
About the 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).
What is being tested
- Mindfulness (behavioral)
- Social Media Reduction (behavioral)
- Exercise (behavioral)
Sponsor: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health · Participants: 300 · Started: Aug 24, 2025
Contact the study team
- Johannes Thrul, PhD · Phone: (443) 318-6633
Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT07097545
Locations in the U.S.
| Maryland | Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore |
Conditions
From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 30, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.