Funded Projects

Social Media and Youth Mental Health

Project Year

2026

City & State

Jacksonville, Florida

Program Name

Resident

Topic

Mental Health (LHI)

Program Description

Problem: Mental health crises and suicide are the second leading cause of death in children in modern society, according to the CDC WISQARS reporting system for 2023. Similarly from the CDC for early 2021, the proportion of mental health-related emergency department visits for suicide attempts among those ages 12-17 increased 31% compared to 2019. While there are many factors contributing to this rise in mental health concerns, one identified source of impact is social media exposure.  

Setting: According to the US Surgeon General in 2023, social media use is "nearly universal" with 95% of those ages 13-17 using at least one social media platform. Due to increased depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, alongside standing issues like cyberbullying, idealized imagery, and social isolation, the state of Florida passed a law banning children under 14 from creating social media accounts, effective January 2025. While this legislation has been contested, it underlines growing concerns over the recent effects as social media is integrated in youth's lives.  

Goal: The goal of this project is to partner with youth through a community organization, the Center for Children's Rights (CCR), in Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) to assess the intersection of social media use and youth mental health in Jacksonville. Youth and adults will co-develop educational materials to promote online safety and raise awareness of social media’s potential impact on mental health..  

Proposed Intervention: Utilizing YPAR, develop a pilot curriculum including educational handouts about online safety and classes to teach middle school-age children and caregivers how to safely navigate the online sphere, identifying potential risks. Focus groups co-led by youth will serve to develop material specifically targeted for Jacksonville. Pre- and post-surveys will be administered at each session to assess mental health and online safety knowledge of participants. An iterative process will be used to adjust content over time, tailoring it to meet community needs. If awarded, the CATCH grant funds would be used to implement no-cost social media safety education to local middle school students and families. It will support youth leaders partnering with our team to develop and implement the training. If successful, this pilot program will be expanded to spaces like afterschool programs caring for middle school students.  

Anticipated outcomes: These include increased confidence in social media and online safety strategies, identifying mental health concerns, and other potential areas of need for youth education. Based on feedback from youth who participate in this training, we hope to adapt and expand it as a standard for children across Jacksonville. Another outcome is increased confidence from caregivers in navigating conversations about social media and mental health. Additionally, we hope to increase our capacity to create effective youth partnerships to ensure youth in our community are empowered and engaged in initiatives to promote their health and well-being. Finally, to create a lasting partnership with CCR that will, in time, increase mental health awareness, promote increased youth partnership, and decrease rates of health crises due to social media misuse and reported harmful online exposures in Jacksonville. 

Project Goal

Co-develop and co-implement a social media educational curriculum for middle school students and caregivers using the principles of Youth Participatory Action Research. Empower youth to lead educational conversations about safe and healthy social media use, with a focus on mental health, digital footprint, and peer relationships among middle school students and their caregivers.

Project Objective 1

By 3 months into the project, engage and train 2 youth leaders in designing the framework for the middle school educational curriculum and focus groups

Project Objective 2

By 6 months, pilot at least one educational session at the target middle school. By 12 months, conduct 2 additional sessions of the training at target middle school. 

Project Objective 3

By 12 months, see an increase in confidence on social media safety and awareness of relationship with mental health by 30%.

AAP District

District X

Institutional Name

The Center for Children's Rights

Contact 1

Marye Lee, MD