A Music and Visual Arts Digital Intervention in Teenagers to Promote Healthy Engagement With Social Media.

NCT06402253 | Active Not Recruiting

• 3 other identifiers: IRB-FY2023-74191010633192023
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 90
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

The primary goal of this interventional study is to explore whether 3 months of arts-based digital interventions can change the way in which teenagers (13-16 years of age) use social media and are affected by them. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Can we give teenagers new, stimulating, and more goal-oriented ways of using social media through arts-based digital trainings and active discussions around social media?
• Can these arts-based digital interventions also help teenagers to overcome the negative consequences of social media overuse (such as depression, anxiety, and reduced attention and cognitive performance)? Secondarily, this study also aims to explore the brain and behavioral traits associated with these arts-based interventions to better understand how they work. Researchers will compare a music composition intervention with two other interventions: an active control intervention based on visual-arts instead of music (i.e., photography), and a passive approach to control for the mere pass of time. Participants will:
• Complete a baseline and a post-intervention evaluation where researchers will obtain measures of cognitive performance (attention and executive functions, mainly), mood, mental health, brain structure and function, and social media usage and attitudes towards these platforms.
• Complete weekly measures regarding their use of social media platforms and their mood.
• Complete 3-month arts-based composition / edition intervention (based on music or visual-arts/photography), or the equivalent time with no intervention (passive control group). The motivation of this study was driven by the observation that, in recent years, there has been an increasing use of social media and digital devices in teenagers, while the scientific community still does not fully understand the effects of the overuse of these digital means and platforms. Moreover, some of the negative effects described to be associated with the passive overuse of social media tap on the same brain structures that are benefited by musical and artistic trainings. Hence, we thought it could be worth trying to use arts-based training to help teenagers compensate for or overcome the negative effects of social media at the neural, cognitive, mood and mental health levels. This study introduces novelty through three main aspects. Firstly, it employs a digital art creation approach that requires no classical art training, making it more accessible and less intimidating. Secondly, it incorporates commonly used digital devices (e.g., phones/tablets) and motivating environments into the learning process, integrating the development of new digital skills and the practice of critical thinking around the use of SM into normal classroom activities. Finally, the study employs a multi-methodological approach to explore the brain mechanisms underlying mental-health and cognitive changes resulting from arts-based interventions. Finally, we believe that conclusions from SMART will:
• set the basis for developing preventive and therapeutic interventions for depression and anxiety in teenagers,
• promote educational programs that provide optimal tools for adolescents to navigate social media in a healthy manner, and
• inspire educational policy.

Conditions

Healthy Subjects; Mental Health Issue

Keywords

Mental health; Adolescents; Social media; Music; Neuroarts; Cognition; Brain imaging

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (16)

• Post - Pre changes in attitudes and importance given to social media

  qualitative differences in attitudes and importance of SM self-reported by participants before and after the intervention. Researchers will use a questionnaire specifically developed for this purpose ('Usage, Attitudes \& Opinions about Social Media Questionnaire').

  From enrollment to the end of the post-intervention evaluation (roughly at week 14).

• Post - Pre changes in social media profiles followed in social media

  qualitative differences in the kind of profiles followed by participants before and after the intervention. Researchers will use a questionnaire specifically developed for this purpose ('Usage, Attitudes \& Opinions about Social Media Questionnaire').

  From enrollment to the end of the post-intervention evaluation (roughly at week 14).

• Post - Pre changes in mood and emotional reaction while being online

  qualitative differences in participants' mood and emotional reaction while using social media before and after the intervention. Researchers will use a questionnaire specifically developed for this purpose ('Usage, Attitudes \& Opinions about Social Media Questionnaire').

  From enrollment to the end of the post-intervention evaluation (roughly at week 14).

• Weekly evolution of screentime

  measures of actual smartphone usage will be collected every week during the intervention period (or the 3-month period, in the case of the passive Control group) via self-report questionnaires in which participants will fill the objective smartphone screentime usage data measured by the screentime function on their device. The higher the value input here by participants, the greater the amount of hours spent on their phone.

  From week 1 to week 12 of the intervention (or 3-month no intervention period for the control group).

• Weekly evolution of mood

  measures of weekly mood will be gathered by making participants fill the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) once a week. This scale ranges from 10 to 50 for Positive Affect, with greater values meaning greater presence of positive mood; and from 10 to 50 for Negative Affect, with greater values meaning greater presence of negative mood.

  From week 1 to week 12 of the intervention (or 3-month no intervention period for the control group).

• Post - Pre changes in self-esteem

  the investigators will use the standard test Rosenberg Self-Esteem Questionnaire, ranging from 0 to 30, with scores between 15 and 25 pertaining to a normal range and scores below 15 suggesting low self-esteem.

  Difference from enrollment to the end of the post-intervention evaluation (roughly at week 14).

• Post - Pre changes in Depression (CDI)

  measured via the Children Depression Inventory (CDI), a 27-item scale ranging from 0 to 54. The higher the CDI score, the higher the depressive state.

  Difference from enrollment to the end of the post-intervention evaluation (roughly at week 14).

• Post - Pre changes in Anxiety (SCARED)

  measured via the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Disorders (SCARED), a scale ranging from 0 to 82 with values greater than 25 in the total score indicating the presence of anxiety disorder. It is divided in subscales for Panic Disorder (cut-off=7), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (cut-off=9), Separation Anxiety Disorder (cut-off=5), Social Anxiety Disorder (cut-off=8), and School Avoidance (cut-off=3).

  Difference from enrollment to the end of the post-intervention evaluation (roughly at week 14).

• Post - Pre changes in Mood

  measures of mood will be acquired by using the Positive and Negative Affective Scale (PANAS). This scale ranges from 10 to 50 for Positive Affect, with greater values meaning greater presence of positive mood; and from 10 to 50 for Negative Affect, with greater values meaning greater presence of negative mood.

  Difference from enrollment to the end of the post-intervention evaluation (roughly at week 14).

• Post - Pre changes in Attention

  measured via an Attentional Flanker task, a specifically developed task for this purpose measuring accuracy and reaction times for congruent, incongruent, and neutral trials.

  Difference from enrollment to the end of the post-intervention evaluation (roughly at week 14).

• Post - Pre changes in verbal learning and memory

  researchers will apply the Rey's Auditory Verbal Learning test (AVLT), a standard test counting number of remembered words in each immediate trial and after a delay of 20 minutes. The higher the number in each trial, the better the participant's verbal and learning functions

  Difference from enrollment to the end of the post-intervention evaluation (roughly at week 14).

• Post - Pre changes in auditory working memory

  measured via the WAIS-V Letter Number Sequencing. Score ranges from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating better auditory working memory.

  Difference from enrollment to the end of the post-intervention evaluation (roughly at week 14).

• Post - Pre changes in functional connectivity at rest

  measured using functional MRI (fMRI). Summary beta values representing the level of brain activity will be calculated in functional networks of interest.

  Difference from enrollment to the end of the post-intervention evaluation (roughly at week 14).

• Post - Pre changes in neurophysiological correlates of pre-attentive auditory detection

  the Mismatch Negativity (MMN) component would be characterized for each melodic and rhythmic violation of the presented stimuli. The amplitude of the MMN would be calculated and compared between timepoints.

  Difference from enrollment to the end of the post-intervention evaluation (roughly at week 14).

• Post - Pre changes in brain morphology / anatomy

  Using structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging, researchers will obtain T1-weighted images that will allow for the study of participants' cortical and subcortical gray matter. Applying analyses such as Voxel-Based Morphometry or Cortical Thickness values of gray matter will be obtained, compared between groups and correlated with other types of measures (i.e., cognitive, mental health, behavioral).

  Difference from enrollment to the end of the post-intervention evaluation (roughly at week 14).

• Post - Pre changes in brain structural connectivity

  Using structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging, researchers will obtain diffusion-weighted images that will allow for the study of participants' white matter structural connectivity between areas of interest. Applying analyses such Tract-Based Spatial Statistics or Tractographical reconstruction of white-matter pathways, macro- and microstructural measures of tracts of interest will be calculated, compared between groups and correlated with other types of measures (i.e., cognitive, mental health, behavioral).

  Difference from enrollment to the end of the post-intervention evaluation (roughly at week 14).

Secondary Outcomes (14)

• Treatment Fidelity

  From beginning of the intervention to end of intervention (at week 12)

• Students' Engagement during Interventions

  From beginning of the intervention to end of intervention (at week 12)

• Post - Pre changes in self-reported screentime

  From enrollment to the end of the post-intervention evaluation (roughly at week 14).

• Post - Pre changes in social media platforms used

  From enrollment to the end of the post-intervention evaluation (roughly at week 14).

• Post - Pre changes in types of posts shared online

  From enrollment to the end of the post-intervention evaluation (roughly at week 14).

Other Outcomes (1)

• Students' Feedback about the Intervention

  End of intervention (week 12)

Study Arms (3)

Music Composition / Edition

EXPERIMENTAL

Teenage participants assigned to the 'Music Composition / Edition' (MUS) intervention will receive the 3-month Music Composition Intervention, completing self-reporting weekly measures of mood and social media usage, as well as a pre- and a post-intervention evaluation in which cognitive, mental-health, mood, social media usage and neuroimaging measures will be obtained.

Behavioral: Music composition / edition

Photography Composition / Edition

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Teenage participants assigned to the 'Photography Composition / Edition' or Visual-Arts (VIS) intervention will receive the 3-month Photography Composition/Edition Intervention, completing self-reporting weekly measures of mood and social media usage, as well as a pre- and a post-intervention evaluation in which cognitive, mental-health, mood, social media usage and neuroimaging measures will be obtained.

Behavioral: Photography composition / edition

Control

NO INTERVENTION

Teenage participants assigned to the 'Passive Control' (CON) arm will complete self-reporting weekly measures of mood and social media usage during 3 months, as well as a pre- and a post-intervention evaluation in which cognitive, mental-health, mood, social media usage and neuroimaging measures will be obtained. Once their participation in the study is complete, controls will be offered to complete the intervention of their choosing, according to the availability of teaching artists and locations to perform this.

Interventions

Music composition / edition BEHAVIORAL

Participants in this group will complete two 1-hour music composition training intervention sessions per week over the course of 3 months (24 sessions total). These sessions will take place in the participating schools\' premises, during normal hours corresponding to their advisory period class; or in participating centers during extracurricular activities' periods. The curriculum for these music composition lessons has been developed specifically for this project, in collaboration and based on the educational music composition programs from the American Composers Orchestra (ACO). Lessons review basic structural musical concepts, practicing active listening and music appreciation skills, teaching about the use of music-composition specific software (i.e., Soundtrap), and helping the students in expressing themselves / their identity through music, learning about musical story-telling through the creation of their own musical pieces from scratch.

Also known as: MUS

Music Composition / Edition

Photography composition / edition BEHAVIORAL

Participants in this group will complete two 1-hour photography/visual-arts composition/edition intervention sessions per week over the course of 3 months (24 sessions total). These sessions will take place in the participating schools\' premises, during normal hours corresponding to their advisory period class; or in participating centers during extracurricular activities' periods. The curriculum for these photography composition lessons has been developed specifically for this project, in collaboration and based on educational photography/film programs from Downtown Community TV Center (DCTV). Lessons review basic structural photography/visual-arts concepts, practicing visual-arts appreciation skills, teaching about the use of photography edition specific software (i.e., Photoshop), and helping the students in expressing themselves/their identity through photography, learning about visual story-telling through the creation of their own photographical projects from scratch.

Also known as: VIS, Visual-arts Composition / Edition

Photography Composition / Edition

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 13 Years - 16 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• We are not concerned with country of birth, native language, race, or gender. Furthermore, we will not exclude subjects based on their neurodevelopmental, neurological, or psychiatric disorders, or based on their background or previous training in music, visual/plastic arts, or film/multimedia.
• We will recruit participants who are 13-16 years old.
• If they agree to participate in the neuroimaging sessions, participants will not have any contraindications for completing MEG or MRI scans.

You may not qualify if:

• We will exclude participants who are not between the ages of 13 and 16 years old.
• For the additional neuroimaging measures, we will exclude participants who have any contraindications for MEG or MRI if they choose to participate in the optional MEG and MRI scans.
• For recruiting parents, we will exclude those who are not parents of a child enrolled in the study.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• New York University: lead
• American Composers Orchestra: collaborator

Study Sites (2)

Fort Hamilton High School

Brooklyn, New York, 11209, United States

Location

Faculty of Arts & Science, Psychology Department - New York University

New York, New York, 10012, United States

Location

Related Publications (23)

• Ripolles P, Rojo N, Grau-Sanchez J, Amengual JL, Camara E, Marco-Pallares J, Juncadella M, Vaquero L, Rubio F, Duarte E, Garrido C, Altenmuller E, Munte TF, Rodriguez-Fornells A. Music supported therapy promotes motor plasticity in individuals with chronic stroke. Brain Imaging Behav. 2016 Dec;10(4):1289-1307. doi: 10.1007/s11682-015-9498-x.

  PMID: 26707190 BACKGROUND

• Siponkoski ST, Martinez-Molina N, Kuusela L, Laitinen S, Holma M, Ahlfors M, Jordan-Kilkki P, Ala-Kauhaluoma K, Melkas S, Pekkola J, Rodriguez-Fornells A, Laine M, Ylinen A, Rantanen P, Koskinen S, Lipsanen J, Sarkamo T. Music Therapy Enhances Executive Functions and Prefrontal Structural Neuroplasticity after Traumatic Brain Injury: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial. J Neurotrauma. 2020 Feb 15;37(4):618-634. doi: 10.1089/neu.2019.6413. Epub 2019 Dec 5.

  PMID: 31642408 BACKGROUND

• Bianco V, Berchicci M, Gigante E, Perri RL, Quinzi F, Mussini E, Di Russo F. Brain Plasticity Induced by Musical Expertise on Proactive and Reactive Cognitive Functions. Neuroscience. 2022 Feb 10;483:1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.12.032. Epub 2021 Dec 29.

  PMID: 34973386 BACKGROUND

• Vaquero L, Rodriguez-Fornells A, Reiterer SM. The Left, The Better: White-Matter Brain Integrity Predicts Foreign Language Imitation Ability. Cereb Cortex. 2017 Aug 1;27(8):3906-3917. doi: 10.1093/cercor/bhw199.

  PMID: 27461123 BACKGROUND

• Simo M, Vaquero L, Ripolles P, Gurtubay-Antolin A, Jove J, Navarro A, Cardenal F, Bruna J, Rodriguez-Fornells A. Longitudinal Brain Changes Associated with Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation in Lung Cancer. J Thorac Oncol. 2016 Apr;11(4):475-86. doi: 10.1016/j.jtho.2015.12.110. Epub 2016 Jan 22.

  PMID: 26804637 BACKGROUND

• Vaquero L, Rodriguez-Fornells A, Pera-Jambrina MA, Bruna J, Simo M. Plasticity in bilateral hippocampi after a 3-month physical activity programme in lung cancer patients. Eur J Neurol. 2021 Apr;28(4):1324-1333. doi: 10.1111/ene.14670. Epub 2020 Dec 30.

  PMID: 33296534 BACKGROUND

• Vaquero L, Hartmann K, Ripolles P, Rojo N, Sierpowska J, Francois C, Camara E, van Vugt FT, Mohammadi B, Samii A, Munte TF, Rodriguez-Fornells A, Altenmuller E. Structural neuroplasticity in expert pianists depends on the age of musical training onset. Neuroimage. 2016 Feb 1;126:106-19. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.11.008. Epub 2015 Nov 14.

  PMID: 26584868 BACKGROUND

• Gil-Gomez de Liano B, Quiros-Godoy M, Perez-Hernandez E, Wolfe JM. Efficiency and accuracy of visual search develop at different rates from early childhood through early adulthood. Psychon Bull Rev. 2020 Jun;27(3):504-511. doi: 10.3758/s13423-020-01712-z.

  PMID: 32043221 BACKGROUND

• Mas-Herrero E, Singer N, Ferreri L, McPhee M, Zatorre RJ, Ripolles P. Music engagement is negatively correlated with depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic via reward-related mechanisms. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2023 Jan;1519(1):186-198. doi: 10.1111/nyas.14931. Epub 2022 Nov 19.

  PMID: 36401802 BACKGROUND

• Lu J, Moussard A, Guo S, Lee Y, Bidelman GM, Moreno S, Skrotzki C, Bugos J, Shen D, Yao D, Alain C. Music training modulates theta brain oscillations associated with response suppression. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2022 Oct;1516(1):212-221. doi: 10.1111/nyas.14861. Epub 2022 Jul 19.

  PMID: 35854670 BACKGROUND

• James CE, Tingaud M, Laera G, Guedj C, Zuber S, Diambrini Palazzi R, Vukovic S, Richiardi J, Kliegel M, Marie D. Cognitive enrichment through art: a randomized controlled trial on the effect of music or visual arts group practice on cognitive and brain development of young children. BMC Complement Med Ther. 2024 Apr 4;24(1):141. doi: 10.1186/s12906-024-04433-1.

  PMID: 38575952 BACKGROUND

• Sihvonen AJ, Sarkamo T, Leo V, Tervaniemi M, Altenmuller E, Soinila S. Music-based interventions in neurological rehabilitation. Lancet Neurol. 2017 Aug;16(8):648-660. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(17)30168-0. Epub 2017 Jun 26.

  PMID: 28663005 BACKGROUND

• Orpella J., Bowling D., Tomaino C., Ripolles P. (2023). Effects of Affectively Parameterized Music on Mood and Attention. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/yauxt.

  BACKGROUND

• Sarkamo T, Tervaniemi M, Laitinen S, Forsblom A, Soinila S, Mikkonen M, Autti T, Silvennoinen HM, Erkkila J, Laine M, Peretz I, Hietanen M. Music listening enhances cognitive recovery and mood after middle cerebral artery stroke. Brain. 2008 Mar;131(Pt 3):866-76. doi: 10.1093/brain/awn013.

  PMID: 18287122 BACKGROUND

• Sihvonen AJ, Leo V, Ripolles P, Lehtovaara T, Ylonen A, Rajanaro P, Laitinen S, Forsblom A, Saunavaara J, Autti T, Laine M, Rodriguez-Fornells A, Tervaniemi M, Soinila S, Sarkamo T. Vocal music enhances memory and language recovery after stroke: pooled results from two RCTs. Ann Clin Transl Neurol. 2020 Nov;7(11):2272-2287. doi: 10.1002/acn3.51217. Epub 2020 Oct 6.

  PMID: 33022148 BACKGROUND

• Sarkamo T, Ripolles P, Vepsalainen H, Autti T, Silvennoinen HM, Salli E, Laitinen S, Forsblom A, Soinila S, Rodriguez-Fornells A. Structural changes induced by daily music listening in the recovering brain after middle cerebral artery stroke: a voxel-based morphometry study. Front Hum Neurosci. 2014 Apr 17;8:245. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00245. eCollection 2014.

  PMID: 24860466 BACKGROUND

• Smout A, Chapman C, Mather M, Slade T, Teesson M, Newton N. It's the Content That Counts: Longitudinal Associations between Social Media Use, Parental Monitoring, and Alcohol Use in an Australian Sample of Adolescents Aged 13 to 16 Years. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jul 16;18(14):7599. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18147599.

  PMID: 34300049 BACKGROUND

• K Kaye L, Orben A, A Ellis D, C Hunter S, Houghton S. The Conceptual and Methodological Mayhem of "Screen Time". Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 May 22;17(10):3661. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17103661.

  PMID: 32456054 BACKGROUND

• O'Reilly M, Dogra N, Hughes J, Reilly P, George R, Whiteman N. Potential of social media in promoting mental health in adolescents. Health Promot Int. 2019 Oct 1;34(5):981-991. doi: 10.1093/heapro/day056.

  PMID: 30060043 BACKGROUND

• Mahalingham T, Howell J, Clarke PJF. Attention control moderates the relationship between social media use and psychological distress. J Affect Disord. 2022 Jan 15;297:536-541. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.10.071. Epub 2021 Oct 26.

  PMID: 34715177 BACKGROUND

• Wacks Y, Weinstein AM. Excessive Smartphone Use Is Associated With Health Problems in Adolescents and Young Adults. Front Psychiatry. 2021 May 28;12:669042. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.669042. eCollection 2021.

  PMID: 34140904 BACKGROUND

• Camunas N, Mavrou I, Vaillo M, Martinez RM. An executive function training programme to promote behavioural and emotional control of children and adolescents in foster care in Spain. Trends Neurosci Educ. 2022 Jun;27:100175. doi: 10.1016/j.tine.2022.100175. Epub 2022 Mar 20.

  PMID: 35501027 BACKGROUND

• Vaquero L, Groves K, Munoz-Vidal EL, James K, Marlor JL, McIntyre C, Ostia L, Sirota S, Shields L, Dege F, Garcia-Mingo E, Ripolles P. Studying the effects of digital arts-based interventions on teenagers' social media usage, brain connectivity, and mental health: study protocol of the SMART project. Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2025 Dec;16(1):2550079. doi: 10.1080/20008066.2025.2550079. Epub 2025 Sep 17.

  PMID: 40958721 DERIVED

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Psychological Well-Being

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Personal Satisfaction; Behavior

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: This study is organized around a 3-month digital music composition intervention for teenagers between 13 and 16 years old. This main music intervention will be compared with an active digital visual-art (i.e., photography) intervention, whose content is planned in parallel with the music one, and a passive no-intervention control group. The interventions will be administered in 24 sessions, with two 1-hour classes per week. Active interventions will cover both basic structural concepts (around music or photography, in each case) that will allow the participants to expand their understanding and appreciation of these kind of artistic stimuli; as well as hands-on experience in specific software for music / photography composition and edition (i.e., Soundtrap, Photoshop). Passive control participants will be monitored for 3-months and offered to complete one of the trainings after completing the study. All groups will complete evaluations before and after the 3-month interventions.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 15, 2024
• First Posted: May 7, 2024
• Study Start: March 1, 2024
• Primary Completion: September 1, 2025
• Study Completion: September 1, 2025
• Last Updated: May 29, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP
• Time Frame: Beginning 9 months and ending 36 months following article publication or as required by a condition of awards and agreements supporting the research.
• Access Criteria: Study Protocol Intervention Program Curriculum Statistical Analysis Plan (SAP) Anonymized Behavioral and Neuroimaging Data Metadata / Workflows Pre-prints

Locations

US (2)