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)