As part of her ongoing “Kids’ Online Safety” agenda, Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Secretary of Higher Education Margo Chaly announced that Rutgers University has been selected through a competitive grant process to host the state’s dedicated Social Media Research Center.
Backed by a $500,000 grant from the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) funded in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget, the new center will independently investigate the impacts of social media consumption, addictive platform features, and emerging mental health risks facing children and adolescents.
The establishment of the Center stems from landmark legislation signed earlier this year to hold Big Tech accountable and protect young people online. This includes codifying the New Jersey Age-Appropriate Design Code—which restricts data collection, sets the highest default privacy settings for minors, and limits addictive engagement features—as well as investigating the potential efficacy of warning labels on social media platforms.
“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,” Sherrill said. “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…”
The Center will take an interdisciplinary, multi-campus approach across undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools—including Rutgers Health—focusing on three main pillars:
- Assessment: Understanding the true impacts of social media on youth.
- Intervention: Mitigating addictive and harmful social media behaviors.
- Prevention: Promoting healthy and responsible technology use.
Leadership and academic expertise
The Center will be directed by an established team of Rutgers researchers:
- Dr. Jessica Hamilton, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology (School of Arts and Sciences)
- Dr. Jeffrey Lane, Associate Professor in the School of Communication and Information
- Dr. Vivien Wen Li Anthony, Associate Professor in the School of Social Work
“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,” Hamilton said.
Broad support across state
The announcement has drawn strong praise from state education, health, and advocacy leaders:
- Dr. Raynard Washington, New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner, noted that the Center will work alongside the new Office of Youth Online Mental Health Safety and Awareness to guide practical, public-health-driven solutions.
- Dr. Timothy Purnell, Executive Director/CEO of the New Jersey School Boards Association, emphasized that the findings will help local educators better prepare students to navigate digital platforms safely.
- Julie Scelfo, Founder and Executive Director of Mothers Against Media Addiction (MAMA), commended the administration for tackling the harms of addictive technologies head-on.
The initiative also aligns with recent accountability milestones, including a multistate settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc., which will deliver at least $525 million to New Jersey to support youth mental health programming, crisis intervention, and digital literacy.
