Bidirectional Influences Between Adolescent Social Media Use and Mental Health (R21 Clinical Trial Optional) | RFA MH 25 206

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA MH 25 206

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is soliciting exploratory research grant applications under Funding Opportunity Number RFA-MH-25-206, titled "Bidirectional Influences Between Adolescent Social Media Use and Mental Health (R21 Clinical Trial Optional)." This opportunity supports early-stage, high-impact studies that examine how adolescent social media use and mental health influence each other over time. The central emphasis is on bidirectionality: not only whether social media use contributes to changes in mental health or psychiatric symptoms, but also whether adolescents mental health status, symptom patterns, or underlying risk and resilience factors shape how they engage with social media. In other words, the NOFO is looking for research that can tease apart directionality and feedback loops, rather than assuming a one-way causal story.

For this NOFO, social media is defined broadly as internet-based communication platforms and applications where users interact by sharing, consuming, or exchanging information. The target population is adolescents, defined here as ages 10 through 20, reflecting the period when access to smartphones and platforms increases and young people gain more independence in how, when, and why they use digital spaces. The scientific focus spans adolescent mental health, psychiatric symptoms, and factors related to risk for psychopathology as well as resilience. Projects that can clarify mechanisms, trajectories, and heterogeneity across adolescents (for example, why certain patterns of use are harmful for some youth but neutral or even beneficial for others) are well aligned with the stated purpose, as long as the work is framed around reciprocal influences between use and mental health-related outcomes.

The mechanism is an R21, which typically supports innovative, exploratory, or developmental work that can generate strong preliminary data and open new lines of inquiry. The NOFO notes "Clinical Trial Optional," meaning applicants may include certain kinds of clinical trial elements if appropriate, but it is not required. At the same time, the announcement explicitly states that effectiveness or efficacy trials will not be accepted. That restriction is important: the funder is not seeking intervention studies designed to test whether a program, app, curriculum, or treatment works. Instead, the priority is research aimed at understanding relationships, timing, pathways, and contributing factors, including studies that improve measurement, identify causal directions, or build models of how social media experiences and mental health mutually shape each other.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S. organizations and governments, such as state, county, city or township governments, special district governments, and independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education where applicable); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The NOFO also highlights additional eligible applicants, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), 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, and certain non-U.S. entities such as foreign organizations and regional organizations. This wide eligibility reflects an interest in supporting diverse settings, populations, and scientific perspectives, including research that may be conducted in community, school, healthcare, or cross-national contexts, as long as the scientific aims match the NOFO.

The funding activity category is Health (CFDA 93.242), and the instrument is a grant. The opportunity is discretionary, administered by NIH, with an original application due date of 2025-10-20. While the source data does not list an award ceiling or expected number of awards, applicants should plan within typical R21 expectations and confirm current NIH R21 budget rules and any special NOFO-specific limits in the full announcement. Overall, the opportunity is geared toward rigorous, theory-driven, and methodologically strong studies that can help the field move beyond simple correlations and toward a clearer understanding of how adolescent social media behavior and mental health interact dynamically across development, contexts, and individual differences, without crossing into testing the effectiveness of an intervention.

• 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 (R21 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 2024-10-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-10-20. (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.

Apply for RFA MH 25 206

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