Bidirectional Influences Between Adolescent Social Media Use and Mental Health (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA MH 24 180

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MH 24 180

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is soliciting grant applications under the opportunity titled "Bidirectional Influences Between Adolescent Social Media Use and Mental Health (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" (Funding Opportunity Number RFA-MH-24-180; CFDA 93.242). The central aim is to fund research that clarifies the two-way, or bidirectional, relationships between adolescents' social media use and mental health outcomes. In practice, that means the program is interested both in how different patterns or experiences of social media use may shape mental health, psychiatric symptoms, and trajectories of risk or resilience for psychopathology, and also in how an adolescent's existing mental health status or symptom profile may influence how they use social media over time.

For this NOFO, "social media" is defined broadly as internet-based communication platforms and applications where users interact by sharing information, consuming content, or engaging with others. The target population is adolescents, defined here as ages 10 through 20. The framing reflects the reality that young people in this age range typically gain increased access to smartphones and online platforms, along with more independence and autonomy in how, when, and why they use those platforms. The research focus is not limited to one specific app or platform; instead, it emphasizes understanding mechanisms and patterns that could generalize across evolving digital environments.

A key boundary of the funding opportunity is that it will not support effectiveness or efficacy trials. In other words, applications proposing to test whether a particular intervention "works" to improve outcomes (classic intervention trials) are not responsive. The "Clinical Trial Optional" designation indicates that applicants may propose certain types of clinical trial-like designs only if they fit NIH definitions and remain aligned with the NOFO's emphasis; however, the agency is explicitly ruling out trials designed to establish intervention effectiveness. The intent is to prioritize foundational, mechanistic, developmental, and longitudinal work that can disentangle cause-and-effect dynamics, timing, and directionality between social media experiences and mental health.

Because the initiative is centered on bidirectionality, competitive projects will typically be those that can capture change over time and separate what comes first from what follows. That can include research designed to parse whether certain social media exposures (such as types of interactions, intensity of engagement, content characteristics, or social dynamics like peer feedback) predict later changes in mood, anxiety, irritability, sleep-related symptoms, self-harm risk, or other psychiatric symptom domains, while also modeling the reverse pathway: whether baseline symptoms, stress reactivity, loneliness, neurodevelopmental differences, or pre-existing vulnerabilities predict later shifts in how adolescents engage with social media. The NOFO also highlights interest in both risk and resilience, meaning it is not only about negative outcomes but also about identifying protective factors, adaptive uses, and conditions under which social media engagement may coincide with better adjustment or support.

The funding mechanism is an NIH R01 research project grant, and the opportunity falls under the "Discretionary" category with a "Grant" funding instrument and a "Health" activity category. The listing includes an original application closing date of March 1, 2024, and a creation date of November 1, 2023. The award ceiling and expected number of awards are not specified in the provided source data, which often means applicants need to consult the full announcement and NIH policies for budget expectations and any institute-specific guidance.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic organizations and certain non-U.S. entities. Eligible applicants listed include state, county, city/township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; Native American tribal organizations other than federally recognized tribal governments; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with and without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other unspecified eligible entities. The NOFO also calls out additional eligible applicant types such as Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, eligible federal agencies, U.S. territories or possessions, regional organizations, Indian/Native American Tribal Governments other than federally recognized, and non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations). This breadth signals an intent to draw on diverse research settings and populations, including communities that are often underrepresented in mental health research, and to support work that can better reflect the real-world heterogeneity of adolescents' digital experiences.

Taken together, the opportunity is best understood as a call for rigorous research that can move beyond simple correlations and instead map out how adolescents' mental health and social media behaviors shape each other over development. The overall goal is to generate stronger evidence about pathways, moderators, and mechanisms that can inform future prevention and intervention strategies, without using this particular NOFO to run direct efficacy or effectiveness testing of those strategies.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Bidirectional Influences Between Adolescent Social Media Use and Mental Health (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.242.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-11-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-03-01. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

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