§19066 Technology and Behavioral Science Research

Summary

The Director must give competitive, merit-reviewed grants for research and development. The research must help us learn how people access and use social media and consumer technology and how that use relates to mental health, behavior, and substance use disorders, especially for children and adolescents. It must also study whether social media and consumer technology are linked to rising rates of mental health and substance use problems, including in communities with long-term economic distress. The Director must work with leaders of other federal agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, to avoid repeating research.