Social Media Intervention for Online Victimized Youth

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH · Feb 14, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is called the "Social Media Intervention for Online Victimized Youth" and aims to see if a chatbot named SMILEY can help young people who are dealing with depression and have experienced bullying or harassment online. The trial will focus on marginalized youth, including those who identify as Black, Hispanic, or LGBTQ+. Researchers want to find out if using SMILEY can improve their safety and reduce the stress they feel from online victimization.

To participate, young people aged 12 to 18 who have moderate to severe depression and have faced online victimization can apply. Over four weeks, participants will interact with SMILEY at their own pace, learning about safe social media practices and coping skills to handle negative online experiences. They will receive helpful information on managing their online time, dealing with hurtful comments, and building positive connections with others. This study is not yet recruiting participants, but it's an important step towards supporting youth who are struggling with these issues.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Adolescents age 12-18
• • Current moderate to severe depression (PHQ-9-M ≥ 11)
• • Patients must screen positive for depression, PHQ-9-M score ≥ 11, and online victimization (OV). A positive screen will be OV that occurred "a few times" for at least one type of OV or "once" for at least two types of OV.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Conditions that might impair their ability to effectively deploy interventions, including current manic or psychotic episode, presence of a life-threatening medical condition requiring immediate treatment, intellectual or developmental disability precluding comprehension of study procedure
• • Referring providers will be advised that adolescents must be capable of safely participating, specifically that they do not need urgent medical or psychiatric treatment.