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A Five-Second pause: can it break the social media habit?

NCT ID NCT07829211

Symptom relief Sponsor: University of Southern California Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting This study
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Sep 18, 2026 · Last updated Sep 18, 2026

Summary

Researchers at the University of Southern California are testing whether adding a short delay before opening a social media app helps young adults spend less time on it and improves their digital well-being. The study includes 120 participants ages 18 to 24 who regularly use social media. Half will use a smartphone tool that inserts a pause and a prompt before opening a chosen app for two weeks, while the other half continue as usual. Participants complete surveys, attention and memory tasks, and brain scans before and after the study period.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
a smartphone app that adds a brief pause before opening a social media app
What this could lead to
If it works, a simple pause could give people a practical way to cut back on social media and feel better about their phone use.
What could go wrong
The study is small and short, so any benefit may fade or not apply to other apps or age groups. The pause may annoy users or they may find ways around it.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 120 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Expected to start

Oct 2026

An estimate. Start dates often move.

Expected to finish

Aug 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 24 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Ages 18-24 years. * Active user of social media. * Native English speaker. * Able and willing to complete two in-person fNIRS visits and approximately 14 days of smartphone-based assessments. * Owns a smartphone Exclusion Criteria: * Not a native English speaker. * Unable or unwilling to complete the smartphone intervention or required data collection. * Unable to complete the fNIRS procedures

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As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Digital well-being Social media

How to take part

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  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • University of Southern California

    Los Angeles, California, 90089, United States

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