(The Center Square) — New Jersey is moving to create a new research facility to study possible connections between obsessive use of social media platforms with anxiety, depression and other mental health concerns among teens.

On Monday, Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced that Rutgers University was chosen through a competitive grant process to host the state’s Social Media Research Center to independently gauge social media’s impacts, addictive features, and emerging risks to children.

The facility, which is approved as part of a social media bill signed by Sherrill earlier this year, will study the negative impacts of social media and make recommendations to lawmakers, the governor, and other stakeholders. It gets underway with a $500,000 grant approved by Sherrill and the state Legislature as seed money for the initiative.

"Research has linked social media to depression and anxiety, fatigue and trouble sleeping, poor body image and disordered eating," Sherrill, a Democrat, said in a statement. "This new Center will be an invaluable tool to help us better understand how technology is affecting our children, and more importantly, turn research into real solutions to protect our kids, support our families, and address the ongoing youth mental health crisis."

Like many states, New Jersey is grappling with the impact of social media companies that are increasingly being blamed for the rising rates of depression, suicidality and other mental health issues among youth nationally.

Algorithmic feeds and nighttime notifications are tied to depression, anxiety, eating and sleep disorders, and other mental health issues among children and teenagers, recent studies have found. A 2025 report commissioned by then-Gov. Phil Murphy recommended banning phones from schools and called for parents to delay children’s access to social media.

In response, Congress, the states and local governments are increasingly considering legislation and legal action to crack down on social media use.

Several states — including New York, Minnesota, Texas and Colorado — have approved or are considering the use of social media "warning labels" as a way to wean youth off the websites and improve mental health.

New Jersey is also one of dozens of states expecting to get nearly $17 billion as part of a settlement with Meta to resolve claims that its addictive features on Facebook and Instagram “knowingly exposed young users to serious mental harms,” and “intentionally misled the public” about the safety of its platforms. New Jersey could receive up to $525 million under the settlement.

The new Rutgers facility is required by the law to collaborate with the state Department of Health’s office of online youth mental health to examine the impact of addictive social media on children’s health, the impact of warning labels to protect kids from addictive online behavior, and come up with recommendations for state-level regulations. The Sherrill administration will be required to implement the bill's recommendations.

"Our colleges and universities are home to world-class researchers and innovators who are tackling some of the most complex challenges of today," Margo Chaly, Secretary of Higher Education, said in a statement. "Rutgers University will put this expertise to work by playing a vital role in the State’s understanding of the impacts social media has on our young people. We look forward to their partnership and findings to address this issue that affects our communities."