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New study employing technology to improve young people’s mental health has started

07 Jun 24

An HPFT Consultant Psychiatrist is leading a new and revolutionary study incorporating smart technology to improve young people’s mental health and combat problematic internet use.

A downhearted young girl looking at her phone in the dark

Professor Naomi Fineberg, who is also a Professor at the University of Hertfordshire, leads the BootStRaP project – Boosting Societal Adaptation and Mental Health in a Rapidly Digitalizing Post-Pandemic Europe which is currently running across 14 countries. An estimated 10% to 17% of the global population is affected by problematic use of the internet – there are numerous online behaviours that have been identified to cause problems for individuals and their families, including gambling, cyberbullying and more.

This study aims to explore the online daily habits of young people through the use of a mobile app.

 

Thousands of young people in Europe will be recruited through schools to explore how they use the internet and how this links to their wellbeing. Following this, guidelines will be formulated surrounding healthier internet use, helping to prevent problematic usage of the internet. Overall, the study aims to deliver global policy recommendations to address this issue based on strong scientific evidence.

 

For more information, please contact Dr Tharun Radhakrishnan: tharun.radhakrishnan@nhs.net

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