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Rutgers Selected to Lead New Jersey Social Media Research Center

essica L. Hamilton, director of the New Jersey Social Media Research Center and associate professor of psychology in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers-New Brunswick, speaks in Trenton as Gov. Sherrill
Jessica L. Hamilton, director of the New Jersey Social Media Research Center and associate professor of psychology in the School of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers-New Brunswick, speaks in Trenton as Gov. Mikie Sherrill announces the launch of the center.
Sarina Saychaleune

October 19, 2026

Rutgers University has been selected as the home of a new state center that will study how social media affects young people's mental and physical health, evaluate ways to reduce harmful use and develop educational resources for families and schools.

The New Jersey Social Media Research Center is part of a broader effort by Gov. Mikie Sherrill's administration to strengthen online protections for young people. Rutgers was selected by the New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE), in coordination with the New Jersey Department of Health, to lead the center, which is supported by a $500,000 state grant.

The center will bring together researchers from across Rutgers and work with young people, state agencies, schools and community organizations to examine the relationship between social media use and young people's health, including sleep and mental well-being. 

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Reposted from Rutgers Today