Governor Sherrill, Secretary Chaly Announce Home for New Social Media Research Center at Rutgers

TRENTON – Delivering on her “Kids’ Online Safety” agenda, Governor Mikie Sherrill and Secretary of Higher Education Margo Chaly today announced that Rutgers University was selected through a competitive grant process and will host the State’s dedicated Social Media Research Center to independently study social media’s impacts, addictive features, and emerging risks to children.

Earlier this year, the Governor took decisive action, signing three bills to better protect New Jersey children online, hold Big Tech accountable, and address the harmful and addictive effects of social media on young people. In addition to codifying the New Jersey Age-Appropriate Design Code — which limits the data companies can collect and retain from children, establishes safeguards around interactions between minors and adult users, requires platforms to set their default privacy settings for children to the highest level of privacy, and restricts certain platform features designed to keep young users constantly engaged — these measures also included a directive to establish a Social Media Research Center (Center) at one of New Jersey’s four-year public institutions of higher education. The legislation directs the Center to study the impacts of social media consumption and provide policymakers, families, educators, and communities with recommendations regarding addictive social media behaviors among children and minors. 

The New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE), in coordination with the New Jersey Department of Health, released a notice of grant opportunity for higher education institutions to submit applications to house the Center. Following a thorough review of the applications submitted, OSHE selected Rutgers University to host the Center. 

“I promised in my campaign to take on Big Tech because it poses one of the greatest generational threats to our kids’ mental health and well-being. Today, we’re delivering on a major pillar of that promise in a new Social Media Research Center,” said Governor Sherrill. “Research has linked social media to depression and anxiety, fatigue and trouble sleeping, poor body image and disordered eating. This new Center will be an invaluable tool to help us better understand how technology is affecting our children, and more importantly, turn research into real solutions to protect our kids, support our families, and address the ongoing youth mental health crisis.” 

Kids’ online safety and youth mental health are critical priorities of the Sherrill Administration.  Over the past decade, a growing number of children and adolescents are reporting symptoms of anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicidal ideation. Through the Center, Rutgers University will generate timely, relevant, and impactful research advancing awareness and solutions to the critical mental health issue facing communities throughout the Garden State. This includes investigating the potential efficacy of warning labels on social media platforms to discourage compulsive social media use. 

“Our colleges and universities are home to world-class researchers and innovators who are tackling some of the most complex challenges of today.Rutgers University will put this expertise to work by playing a vital role in the State’s understanding of the impacts social media has on our young people,” said Margo Chaly, Secretary of Higher Education.“We look forward to their partnership and findings to address this issue that affects our communities.”

“Public health policy must be grounded in the best available evidence,” said Dr. Raynard Washington, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health. “The Social Media Research Center at Rutgers University will help New Jersey better understand how social media affects the health and well-being of our young people, and will work with the new Office of Youth Online Mental Health Safety and Awareness at the Department of Health to guide evidence-based solutions that support children, families, and communities across the state.”

Supported by a $500,000 grant from the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, which was funded in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget, Rutgers University will take an interdisciplinary, multi-campus approach utilizing expertise and resources from their undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools, including Rutgers Health. The Center will focus on three pillars to meet the goals and address stakeholder needs through:

• Assessment: Understanding impacts of social media;
• Intervention: Mitigating addictive and harmful social media use; and
• Prevention: Promoting health and responsible social media use.

Alongside a of team of established researchers and experts already identified, the Center will be directed by Dr. Jessica Hamilton, Associate Professor and Principal Investigator within the School of Arts and Sciences; Dr. Jeffrey Lane, Associate Professor within the School of Communication and Information; and Dr. Vivien Wen Li Anthony, Associate Professor with the School of Social Work.

“We are honored that the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education has selected Rutgers to host the Social Media Research Center. By bringing together researchers from across our campuses and schools, including Rutgers Health, the Center will turn the study of social media’s effects on young people into practical solutions for New Jersey families and communities,” said Rutgers President William F. Tate IV. “We are grateful to OSHE and the Department of Health for their confidence in our work and look forward to a partnership that serves the public good.”

“We are grateful to Governor Sherrill for making youth online safety and mental health a priority in her administration. With State support, the New Jersey Social Media Research Center at Rutgers will conduct rigorous and innovative research that New Jersey children and families, schools, and policymakers can use,” said Dr. Jessica L. Hamilton, Director of the New Jersey Social Media Research Center and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Rutgers University. “We hope to advance our understanding of social media's effects on young people and help New Jersey lead the way in developing research-informed solutions to promote well-being.”

Today’s announcement builds on Governor Sherrill’s broader Kids’ Online Safety Agenda to protect children’s mental health and help parents navigate a rapidly changing digital environment. On her first day in office, Governor Sherrill created the Office of Youth Online Mental Health Safety and Awareness within the New Jersey Department of Health to coordinate efforts across state government to keep children safe online.

The State of New Jersey will also receive at least $525 million, and could receive over $752 million, under a landmark $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc. Announced by Attorney General Jennifer Davenport in August, the settlement requires Meta to implement a sweeping set of safety features designed to protect children and teenagers on Instagram and Facebook, directly complementing the Governor’s agenda. Allowable uses for settlement funds include but are not limited to youth mental health programming, crisis intervention services, further investigations to improve online safety, and digital literacy efforts.

What They’re Saying

“Keeping our students safe is a shared responsibility, and today that responsibility reaches into the phones in their pockets,” said Dr. Timothy Purnell, Executive Director/CEO, New Jersey School Boards Association. “NJSBA looks forward to the recommendations the Social Media Research Center will make once its work is complete, and we stand ready to help local boards put them into practice. With the right tools, educators can better prepare students to use social media responsibly and safely. We applaud Governor Sherrill and the Legislature for keeping student safety at the center of our work.” 

“New Jersey PTA believes every child deserves to be safe, supported, and protected, both online and offline. As social media continues to play a significant role in children’s lives, we must better understand its impact on their mental health, safety, and well-being. Research is an important step, but meaningful progress requires action from parents, families, policymakers, and social media platforms,” said Dr. April Maxwell-Henley, NJPTA 49th President. “We call on parents and families to stay engaged and informed, policymakers to advance evidence-based protections, and platforms to prioritize children’s safety, privacy, and well-being as we work together toward solutions that put children first.”

“By establishing the new Social Media Research Center, New Jersey is providing a critical service: helping us better understand how social media is affecting our children and how to protect them from the harms of these addictive technologies,” said Julie Scelfo, Founder and Executive Director of Mothers Against Media Addiction (MAMA). “We look forward to policymakers in New Jersey and beyond using the Social Media Research Center’s work to establish even stronger protections for children’s online safety and privacy. We are deeply grateful to Governor Sherrill for her leadership in making the digital world a safer place for New Jersey children.” 

"The Balance Project applauds the State of New Jersey for taking meaningful steps to keep our children safe and healthy online. We see great promise in the new Social Media Research Center, an important investment in further understanding how technology shapes young people's lives. Its findings will undoubtedly help families, schools, and communities make more informed decisions,” said Holly Moscatiello, Founder and President of the Board of The Balance Project. “We look forward to continuing to advance the conversation on life-tech balance for children, tweens, and teens, across social media and beyond."

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