Youth-Nex Researchers to Expand Digital Solutions for Youth Mental Health & Media Literacy

Two Youth-Nex research teams were awarded 2025 Seed Grants from UVA’s Thriving Youth in a Digital Environment (TYDE) initiative, funding projects supporting young people in digital environments.

Lora Henderson Smith, assistant professor at the UVA School of Education and Human Development, and colleagues received $100,000 to develop a mobile psychoeducation app to support adolescents returning to school after an emergency department (ED) visit. The app aims to facilitate communication between families, schools, and healthcare professionals. 

Over 7.5 million children and adolescents visit the ED each year due to a mental health concern with visits being more frequent during the school year, according to Smith. Despite the large number of youth ED visits, the majority of youth do not require hospitalization, and they quickly return to school. 

“Digital health tools offer a promising avenue for bridging the gap in youth mental health care, particularly during the critical transition from the ED back to school,” said Smith. “This TYDE funding is seeding the development of a HIPAA-compliant app that can be used by different user groups to support youth with mental health concerns.”

This work is also supported by UVA researchers, Dr. Moira Smith, assistant professor at UVA Health, and Afsaneh Doryab, assistant professor at the UVA School of Engineering and Applied Science.

The second funded project, led by Paloma Perez, postdoctoral research associate at Youth-Nex, received $30,000 to build on an existing evidence-based program to provide additional training in digital media literacy for students in grades 4-8 and their primary caregivers.

Adolescents today navigate increasingly complex digital environments that significantly influence their social-emotional development and shape peer-relationships, according to Perez. At the same time, parents are educating themselves about the ever-evolving digital media landscape and monitoring digital use.

“Research shows that when adolescents build digital literacy and emotional regulation skills, they’re better equipped to manage online interactions and reduce risks like cyberbullying and social comparison,” said Perez. “As behavior and culture are increasingly shaped by virtual spaces, this TYDE funding will help us expand the Coping Power program with interactive tools to support youth, caregivers, and educators in fostering healthier digital habits.”

This work is also supported by faculty, staff and student researchers in Youth-Nex’s Preventive Interventions Team: Collaborative Research on Engagement and Wellbeing (PIT-CREW) lab.

“TYDE received a record number of applicants for this round of seed funding making it a very competitive grant cycle” said Nancy Deutsch, Linda K. Bunker Professor of Education, director of Youth-Nex and co-director of TYDE. “I’m thrilled to see so many Youth-Nex researchers developing new and innovative digital solutions to help young people thrive in today’s society.”