Teenagers spend many hours per day on the Internet. However, there is a lot that scientists don't know about how Internet use affects behavior. Dr. Meredith Gansner at Boston Children's Hospital is looking for youth to participate in a research study about how Internet use might affect drug and alcohol use. The DMSU (Digital Media & Substance Use) study is funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. You must live in the U.S., be between 15 and 18 years old, and have your own personal smartphone. You will also be asked about your history of prior substance use before you can be a part of the study.

 

As a part of this study, you will be asked to download a smartphone application on your phone that will collect information about your daily digital media use for 90 days. You will also be asked to complete daily and weekly surveys using the smartphone application. These surveys should take less than 5 minutes a day. These surveys will ask about your experiences using digital media, whether you see posts or advertisements about drugs and alcohol online, and whether you have used drugs or alcohol. Study participants may receive up to $250 for their participation. The study is voluntary and you can choose to exit at any time. Information that you provide the study team will be kept confidential and will not be shared with a parent or guardian, even if you are under the age of 18.

 

Please consider taking this brief, confidential recruitment survey to let us know of your interest in participating in this study. At the end of the survey, you will receive a personal study code (for example, IE3).

Please send an e-mail with your personal study code to gansnerlab@childrens.harvard.edu if you are interested in participating in the study.

 

Once we receive your email, a team member will contact you shortly with two e-mails:

 

1). The first e-mail will provide instructions on how to open a secure e-mail from Boston Children's Hospital. The instructions in this first e-mail will allow you to open the 2nd email.

 

2). The second e-mail will let you know if you are able to participate in the study, including next steps for study enrollment, when applicable.

 

This study is being conducted by Dr. Meredith Gansner, MD. Please feel free to leave a voicemail for Dr. Gansner at 617-355-0285 with any comments or concerns. Dr. Gansner will return your call if you leave a callback number. You may also contact the Boston Children's Hospital Human Subjects IRB Office at 617-355-7052, open Monday to Friday (not holidays), if you have any questions about your rights as a study participant.

 

Thank you,

Meredith Gansner, MD

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