HPFT Consultant Psychiatrist awarded €7.5 million funding grant to research the risks of harmful internet use among teenagers

01 Mar 23

A Consultant Psychiatrist at Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT), and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Hertfordshire has, along with colleagues, been awarded a €7.5 million funding grant to research the risks of harmful internet use among teenagers.

Professor Naomi Fineberg is leading a European Research Network that will investigate how young people use the internet, understand which behaviours lead to harm and determine how these can be addressed.

It will be conducted using a specially created phone app which will log factors including time of internet use, length of access, content viewed and how it is interacted with, so researchers can understand behavioural patterns and identify how they may lead to harm or poor health. This information will be used to develop preventative interventions, which will also be delivered via the app.

The project is the first large scale, standardised analysis of the impact of internet use on young people with such a broad and diverse range of participants. Young people in secondary schools local to Hertfordshire and across Europe will be recruited to the five - year research programme. The results will be used to produce policy recommendations to address Problematic Use of the Internet (PUI) on an international scale.

For further information regarding the study please visit: University of Hertfordshire website

Related Pages

HPFT Consultant Psychiatrist awarded €7.5 million funding grant to research the risks of harmful internet use among teenagers