Google and the University of Oregon have teamed up to explore how smartphone use affects mental health, which many people want to know, but the lack of data doesn’t have a clear answer to.
In a blog post, Dr. Nicholas Allen, director of the UO’s Center for Digital Mental Health, said that most 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 phones what they do and that would be done using an Android app.”
To participate in the study, a person must be over 18 years old and be using Android. All they have to do is find the ‘Google Health Study App’, which is not available in the Play Store for Indian Android users, and click on the ‘Digital Wellbeing Study’ option to join.
Allen explained the process further: “You answer questions on their phone at the beginning of the study, then answer very short questionnaires throughout the study that come up randomly over the phone from time to time. You end up Answer a long questionnaire.”
The researchers also hope to get a “direct, objective assessment” of participants’ behavior by using technology that traces how they use their Android cellphones. Additionally, the researchers will also use 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 collected will help in designing better social media platforms, educating children about it and establishing rules to regulate them. The goal of the study is to provide people with “actionable feedback on their well-being”, with particular emphasis on the needs of young people and historically neglected populations.
In the blog post, the researcher said that many people are quick to criticize the technology because they believe it is terrible for mental health and well-being, especially with today’s smartphones, social media and endless streams of content. with.
But according to him, “focusing only on these potentially harmful effects doesn’t tell the whole story. Nor does it help us reap the full benefits these devices provide, as well as manage their risks.” “
Participants can optionally choose to include relevant Fitbit data in the study, such as their number of steps or level of physical activity, and their data will be collected for four weeks.
However, in this case people may think that their privacy will be at risk. According to the reports, there will be no collection of personal information, 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 will participate because they want to help us answer these important questions, people who are thinking about their children, families, how these phones fit into our lives and What effect will they have on our health,” Allen said. ,
He also noted that the study would differ from earlier studies in that there may have been smaller sample sizes or missed important behavioral patterns.
According to the blog post, previous studies, for example, have not included data from groups historically underrepresented in health research or failed to identify complex relationships between device use and health such as screens. Interaction between time and sleep.
“Understanding these relationships can inform developers and people with insights and guidelines for maximizing well-being and minimizing risks. Scientists around the world are empowered by the technology sector and independent to solve these problems and provide us with the answers we need.” are calling for greater transparency and collaboration among scientists,” Allen said.
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