Child maltreatment as a risk factor for problematic social mediause: implications for adolescent well-being and critical windows for intervention

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development awarded Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health $126,873 on September 1, 2026, under the Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.865) to conduct empirical research on child maltreatment as a risk factor for problematic social media use among adolescents.

The recipient will investigate whether victims of child maltreatment are more vulnerable to problematic social media use and its negative effects on well-being, with particular attention to how developmental stage modifies these associations. The research will examine psychosocial pathways between social media use and adolescent mental health outcomes, addressing gaps in existing knowledge about disadvantaged and vulnerable populations.

Performance occurs at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, with a period of performance from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2031. This is a project grant, classified as assistance funding supporting the recipient's research mission.

Abstract

Problematic social media use may lead to mental distress among adolescents. However, little is known about disadvantaged groups who may be particularly vulnerable to problematic social media use. Child maltreatment is a major public health issue in the U.S. Victims of child maltreatment may be particularly susceptible to problematic social media use given their heightened vulnerability to psychosocial difficulties, but this has rarely been examined empirically. Another knowledge GAP is the role of developmental stages in the associations between social media use and adolescent well-being. Prior theories suggest that individuals' sensitivity to social media effects varies by developmental stages, but this remains understudied empirically. Without understanding these potential modifiers of the association between social media use and adolescent well- being, a critical and promising avenue of intervention that may improve adolescent well-being cannot progress. The applicant's long-term goal is to become an interdisciplinary researcher in studying psychosocial pathways to flourishing across the life course. In support of this goal, the immediate objective of this proposal is to determine whether child maltreatment increases adolescents' vulnerability to problematic social media use and its influences on well-being. The central hypothesis is that victims of child maltreatment have heightened vulnerability to problematic social media use and to its negative influences on well-being, and the effects are stronger in earlier VS. Later developmental stages. This proposed research is innovative for at least four reasons, IT: 1) provides pioneering evidence on the roles of child maltreatment in adolescent social media use and well-being; 2) incorporates multiple indicators of positive psychosocial well-being outcomes, which are important aspects of positive youth development; 3) uses cutting-edge causal inference methods to enhance causal inference in observational studies; and 4) integrates a developmental perspective in studying child maltreatment, social media use, and adolescent well-being. The training plan includes: mentored research experience, meetings with mentors, and targeted coursework and conferences. This will provide the applicant with crucial training in the key areas of: child maltreatment, adolescent development, and social media use. Taken together, this project will provide one of the most in-depth examinations of child maltreatment, social media use, and adolescent well-being. Ultimately, the proposed research will have significant impact because IT will determine whether victims of child maltreatment are particularly vulnerable to problematic social media use, strengthen the scientific evidence for a causal relationship between social media use and adolescent well- being with a developmental perspective, provide new targets for preventive and therapeutic interventions to promote adolescent well-being, and suggest new directions for supporting victims of child maltreatment to reach their full developmental potential.