Google and the University of Oregon have teamed up to find out how the use of smartphones affects mental health, which many people are willing to know, but don’t have a clear answer due to lack of data.
In a blog post, Dr Nicholas Allen, who is the director of UO’s Center for Digital Mental Health, stated that a majority of the data available in terms of phones and mental health is self-reported, but his “digital wellbeing” study will take a different approach.
Allen said: “One of the key features of this study is that we’re actually measuring directly from their phone what they do and it will be done using an Android app.”
To take part in the study, a person needs to be above 18 years of age and should use Android. All they need to do is find the ‘Google Health Studies app’, which is not available for Indian android users, in the Play Store and click on the ‘Digital Wellbeing Study’ option to join.
Allen explained the process further: “You answer questions on their phone at the start of the study, then answer very short questionnaires throughout the study that just arrive randomly on the phone from time to time. You they answer a longer questionnaire at the end.”
The researchers also hope to obtain “direct, objective assessments” of participants’ behaviour using technology that detects how they use their Android cellphones. Additionally, researchers will also utilise the patients’ phones to track other indicators of their well-being, such as how much sleep or physical exercise they get.
The researcher hopes that the information gathered will help to design better social media platforms, educate children about it and establish regulations to regulate them. The goal of the study is to provide people with “actionable feedback on their well-being”, with special emphasis on the needs of young people and historically neglected populations.
The researcher, in the blog post, noted that many people are quick to criticise technology because they believe it is terrible for mental health and welfare, especially with today’s smartphones, social media, and endless streams of content.
But according to him, “Focusing only on these potentially harmful effects doesn’t tell the full story. Nor does it help us reap the full benefits these tools have to offer, while also managing their risks.”
Participants can optionally choose to have relevant Fitbit data included in the study, such as their step count or physical activity levels and their data will be collected for four weeks.
However, in this case, people may think that their privacy would be threatened. There will be no collection of personal information, according to reports, and it was also said that Google will only use the collected information for this study.
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“We really hope that people participate in it because they want to help us answer these important questions that people are wondering about with their kids, families, how these phones fit into our lives and what impact will they have on our health,” Allen said.
He also said that the study will be different from earlier studies that may have had smaller sample sizes or missed key behavioural patterns.
According to the blog post, previous studies, for example, may not have included data from groups historically underrepresented in health research or failed to identify complex linkages between device usage and health such as the interaction between screen time and sleep.
“Understanding these relationships can inform insights and guidelines for developers and people to maximise wellbeing and minimise risks. Scientists around the globe are calling for greater transparency and collaboration between the technology sector and independent scientists to solve these problems and provide the answers we need,” Allen noted.
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