tDCS for Social Media Addiction

Trial statusRecruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18+
SponsorEgas Moniz - Cooperativa de Ensino Superior, CRL

About this trial

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive brain stimulation, can reduce "craving" and problematic levels of social media/internet use in university students.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does active tDCS reduce craving to use social media during the intervention period compared with sham stimulation and no stimulation? * Does active tDCS reduce internet/social media addiction severity (measured with the Internet Addiction Test, IAT) compared with sham stimulation and no stimulation, and are any effects still present at follow-up? Researchers will compare three groups-active tDCS, sham tDCS (a simulation where stimulation is stopped after the first seconds), and a control group (no stimulation)-to see whether changes are due to tDCS rather than placebo effects or time.

Participants will:

* Complete an initial screening and baseline questionnaires (a sociodemographic questionnaire and the IAT). * Be randomly assigned to one of three groups: active tDCS, sham tDCS, or control (no stimulation). * Complete the IAT again after the intervention and again about 5 weeks later (follow-up), along with questions about social media use habits.

During intervention, participants in active tDCS and sham tDCS will:

* Attend 10 sessions over 2 consecutive weeks (Monday-Friday), with each session lasting about 30 minutes; mobile phone use is not allowed during sessions. * Rate craving on a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at the start and end of each session.

This study will be conducted with university students in the Greater Lisbon area and will follow double-blind procedures for the active vs sham conditions (participants and researchers will not know the assigned condition until the end of the study).

Eligibility criteria

Qualifiers

Age ≥18 years.

Availability to participate in all study phases/sessions.

IAT score ≥31 (moderate to severe level).

Disqualifiers

Diagnosis of depressive, anxiety, or bipolar disorders with recent symptoms; schizophrenia; psychotic disorders; or autism spectrum disorder.

Recent psychotropic medication use or dose change within the last 3 months.

Current need for inpatient care or ongoing psychotherapy.

History of dizziness or seizures/convulsions.

Trial design

Treatments tested in this trial

  • Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)
  • Sham Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (Sham tDCS)

Treatment groups

60 Participants
are divided into 3 treatment groups