New Jersey Awards Rutgers $500,000 to Lead Youth Social Media Research Center
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced in Trenton, the state capital in Mercer County, on October 19 that Rutgers University has been selected through a competitive process to lead the New Jersey Social Media Research Center, supported by a $500,000 state grant.
The center was selected by the state Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, in coordination with the Department of Health, with funding in the fiscal year 2027 budget. It will be directed by Jessica Hamilton, an associate professor of psychology at Rutgers, alongside associate professors Jeffrey Lane of the School of Communication and Information and Vivien Wen Li Anthony of the School of Social Work, drawing researchers from across Rutgers campuses and Rutgers Health.
The center will assess social media's effects on young people's sleep and mental health, evaluate interventions against harmful or addictive use — including whether warning labels can discourage compulsive use — and work on prevention. Hamilton said more than two dozen teams of high school students in 10 counties are already taking part in the research. In August, Sherrill signed three bills strengthening online protections for children, including the legislation that directed the center's creation.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：罗格斯大学Old Queens大楼（资料图）。照片：Zeete摄，Wikimedia Commons（CC BY-SA 4.0）。Old Queens at Rutgers University (file photo). Photo: Zeete, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).
