Studying the effects of digital arts-based interventions on teenagers' social media usage, brain connectivity, and mental health: study protocol of the SMART project.

Abstract

Background: Social media (SM) has become ubiquitous among youth. However, which SM activities are beneficial or detrimental for the wellness of children and adolescents is still under debate. While some reports highlight positive outcomes of SM in learning, social interaction, and wellbeing, other investigations suggest that the overuse of SM induces decreased attention, cognitive, and emotional control, and increases mental-health related disorders (e.g. depression and anxiety). Interestingly, the cognitive and emotional functions negatively affected by the intense use of SM, as well as some of its neural underpinnings, have been previously and consistently reported to benefit from music and arts-based interventions.Objectives: The protocol for the 'Social Media Artistic tRaining in Teenagers (SMART)' project (ClinicalTrial: NCT06402253) is presented here: digital art-based interventions will be used to teach adolescents how to use SM in more goal-oriented and stimulating ways, in the context of learning music or photography composition/editing through specific open-source software.Methods: Participants (aged 13-16) will be evaluated before and after completing a 3-month music or photography composition/editing intervention programme. Participants will also provide weekly measures of SM usage and mood. A matched passive control group will also be recruited, evaluated, and followed for 3 months. Evaluations will include cognitive (attention), mood, and mental-health (depression, stress, anxiety, self-esteem) measures, as well as functional and structural connectivity and morphological biomarkers obtained via MRI and MEG techniques.Discussion: We expect observable changes in self-reported use and attitudes towards SM, and benefits in attention, mood, and mental-health measures, as well as in the neural substrates supporting these processes. The data we plan to collect will confirm or challenge these expectations, aiming to improve our understanding of the impact of SM overuse on brain function, cognitive state, and mental health. Our findings could also inform potential strategies to mitigate SM negative effects.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT06402253..