Social media is an integral part of adolescents’ daily lives, but the significant time they invest in social media has raised concerns about the effect on their mental health. Bans and severe restrictions on social media use are quickly emerging as an attempt to regulate social media use; however, evidence supporting their effectiveness is limited. Adolescents experience several benefits from social media, including increased social connection, reduced loneliness, and a safe space for marginalized groups (eg, LGBTQ+) to interact. Rather than enforcing bans and severe restrictions, emotion regulation should be leveraged to help adolescents navigate the digital social environment. This viewpoint paper proposes a nuanced approach toward regulating adolescent social media use by (1) discontinuing the use of ineffective bans, (2) recognizing the benefits social media use can have, and (3) fostering emotion regulation skills in adolescents to encourage the development of self-regulation.

Background: Colleges have turned to digital mental health interventions to meet the increasing mental health treatment needs of their students. Among these, chatbots stand out as artificial intelligence–driven tools capable of engaging in human-like conversations that have demonstrated some effectiveness in reducing depression and anxiety symptoms. Objective: This study aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of using Wayhaven, an artificial intelligence chatbot, among college students with elevated depression or anxiety symptoms. We also aimed to examine the preliminary effectiveness of Wayhaven in improving symptoms of anxiety and depression, hopelessness, agency, and self-efficacy among students. Methods: Participants were 50 racially and ethnically diverse college students with elevated depression or anxiety symptoms (n=45, 80% female; mean age 22.12 , SD 4.42 years). Students were asked to use Wayhaven over the course of 1 week and completed assessments at preintervention, after 1 session, and 1 week. Results: Wayhaven use was associated with a significant decrease in depression (β=−1.62; P <.001), anxiety (β=−2.15; P <.001), and hopelessness (β=−.64; P <.001) and a significant increase in agency (β=.64; P =.32), self-efficacy (β=.53; P =.02), and well-being ( t ₄₀ =2.90; P =.006; d =0.45) across the study period. Most students also reported being satisfied with Wayhaven and it being a tool they would recommend to their peers. Conclusions: Findings suggest that Wayhaven may be a viable mental wellness resource for diverse students with elevated depression or anxiety symptoms.

Background: Maternal mental health disorders are prevalent, yet many individuals do not receive adequate support due to stigma, financial constraints, and limited access to care. Digital interventions, particularly chatbots, have the potential to provide scalable, low-cost support, but few are tailored specifically to the needs of perinatal individuals. Objective: This study aimed to (1) design and develop Moment for Parents, a tailored chatbot for perinatal mental health education and support, and (2) assess usability through engagement, usage patterns, and user experience. Methods: This study used a human-centered design to develop Moment for Parents, a rules-based chatbot to support pregnant and postpartum individuals. In phase 1, ethnographic interviews (n=43) explored user needs to inform chatbot development. In phase 2, a total of 108 pregnant and postpartum individuals were recruited to participate in a pilot test and had unrestricted access to the chatbot. Engagement was tracked over 8 months to assess usage patterns and re-engagement rates. After 1 month, participants completed a usability, relevance, and satisfaction survey, providing key insights for refining the chatbot. Results: Key themes that came from the ethnographic interviews in phase 1 included the need for trusted resources, emotional support, and better mental health guidance. These insights informed chatbot content, including mood-based exercises and coping strategies. Re-engagement was high (69/108, 63.9%), meaning users who had stopped interacting for at least 1 week returned to the chatbot at least once. A large proportion (28/69, 40.6%) re-engaged 3 or more times. Overall, 28/30 (93.3%) found the chatbot relevant for them, though some noted repetitive content and limited response options. Conclusions: The Moment for Parents chatbot successfully engaged pregnant and postpartum individuals with higher-than-typical retention and re-engagement patterns. The findings underscore the importance of flexible, mood-based digital support tailored to perinatal needs. Future research should examine how intermittent chatbot use influences mental health outcomes and refine content delivery to enhance long-term engagement and effectiveness.

Background: The objective of this study was to examine the associations between adiposity, metabolic syndrome (MetS), cytokines and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) in youth with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and non-syndromic obesity (OB). Methods: Twenty-one youth with PWS and 34 with OB aged 8–15 years participated. Measurements included body composition, blood pressure, fasting blood markers for glucose control, lipids and inflammation and MVPA. Group differences for adiposity, MetS, blood parameters and MVPA were determined using independent t-tests and chi-square (χ²) analyses. Bivariate correlations and analysis of variance (ANOVA) examined the associations between adiposity, MetS severity, cytokines and MVPA. Results: PWS presented similar percentage of body fat (%), lower body mass index (BMI) z-scores, insulin resistance, triglycerides, MetS severity, C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and MVPA and higher high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and adiponectin (ADP) than OB. Fewer PWS presented MetS based on BMI z-score (61.9% vs. 91.2%) and glucose (14.3% vs. 44.1%) compared to OB. In all youth, MetS severity was significantly associated with body fat %, ADP, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and TNF-α and also with CRP in PWS, but associations became non-significant for CRP and IL-6 when controlling for body fat %. In PWS, those with low MVPA had significantly higher TNF-α than those with high MVPA (1.80±0.45 vs. 1.39±0.26 pg/mL). Conclusions: Although PWS presented better cardiometabolic profiles than OB and lower MetS risk, associations between body fat, MetS and cytokines were somewhat similar for both groups, with the exception of CRP. Results suggest a potential role for MVPA related to MetS and inflammation and extend associations shown in OB to PWS.

Background: Generation Z and young millennials (ages 18-35 years), collectively referred to as GenZennials, are connected to technology and the internet like no other generation before them. This has mental health implications, such as increased rates of anxiety and stress. Recent research has shown that app-based mental health interventions can be useful to address such mental health concerns. However, spirituality is an untapped resource, especially since GenZennials largely identify as spiritual and already integrate spiritual practices into their self-care. Objective: There were four objectives to this study: (1) comprehensively explore reasons why GenZennials use a spiritual self-care app (ie, Skylight; Radiant Foundation), (2) understand how GenZennials identify spiritually, (3) understand the app’s relevance to GenZennials, and (4) gather feedback and suggestions to improve the app. Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 23 GenZennials (ages 18-35 years; mean 28.7, SD 5.0 years; n=20, 87% female) who used the Skylight app. Interviews were 30 to 60 minutes and conducted on Zoom. Thematic analysis was used to analyze interviews. Results: Five major categories emerged from the analysis, each encompassing one to several themes: (1) reasons for using the Skylight app, (2) content favorites, (3) defining spiritual identity, (4) relevance to GenZennials, and (5) overall improvement recommendations. Participants used the app for various reasons including to relax, escape, or ground themselves; improve mood; and enhance overall health and wellness. Participants also cited the app’s variety of content offerings and its free accessibility as their primary reasons for using it. Most participants identified themselves as solely spiritual (8/23/35%) among the options provided (ie, spiritual or religious or both), and they appreciated the app’s inclusive content. Participants felt that the app was relevant to their generation as it offered modern content (eg, spiritual self-care activities and short content). Participants recommended adding more personalization capabilities, content, and representation to the app. Conclusions: This is the first study to qualitatively explore GenZennials’ perspectives and the use of a spiritual self-care app. Our findings should inform the future creation and improvement of spiritual self-care apps aimed at cultivating GenZennials’ spiritual and mental well-being. Future research is warranted to examine the effects of using a spiritual self-care app on GenZennial mental health.

Background: Generation Z (Gen Z) and young millennials (GenZennials) (ages 18-35 years) are unique in that they either have no memory of or were born shortly after the internet “explosion.” They are constantly on the internet, face significant challenges with their mental health and sleep, and are frequent users of digital wellness apps. GenZennials also uniquely identify with and practice spirituality, which has been linked to better mental health and sleep in adult populations. Research has not examined digital approaches to spiritual self-care and its relationship to mental health and sleep in GenZennials. Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe a sample of adult GenZennials who use a spiritual self-care app (ie, Skylight), describe how users engage with and perceive the app, and assess the relationship between frequency of using the app with mental health, sleep, and spiritual well-being. Methods: Participants were 475 adult Gen Z (ages 18-28 years) and young millennial (ages 29-35 years) Skylight app users who responded to an anonymous survey on the web. The survey asked about demographics, spiritual self-care and practice, and user engagement and perceptions of the app. Outcome measures included 4 validated surveys for mental health (ie, depression, anxiety, and stress) and sleep disturbance, and one validated survey on spiritual well-being. Mean scores were calculated for all measures, and linear regressions were conducted to examine the relationship between the frequency of app use and mental health, sleep, and spiritual well-being outcomes. Results: Participants were predominantly White (324/475, 68.2%) and female (255/475, 53.7%), and approximately half Gen Z (260/475, 54.5%) and half young millennials (215/475, 45.3%). Most users engaged in spiritual self-care (399/475, 84%) and said it was important or very important to them (437/475, 92%). Users downloaded the app for spiritual well-being (130/475, 30%) and overall health (125/475, 26.3%). Users had normal, average depressive symptoms (6.9/21), borderline abnormal anxiety levels (7.7/21), slightly elevated stress (6.7/16), and nonclinically significant sleep disturbance (5.3/28). Frequency of app use was significantly associated with lower anxiety (Moderate use: β=–2.01; P=.02; high use: β=–2.58; P<.001). There were no significant relationships between the frequency of app use and mental health, sleep, and spiritual well-being outcomes except for the personal domain of spiritual well-being. Conclusions: This is the first study to describe a sample of adult GenZennials who use a spiritual self-care app and examine how the frequency of app use is related to their mental health, sleep, and spiritual well-being. Spiritual self-care apps like Skylight may be useful in addressing anxiety among GenZennials and be a resource to spiritually connect to their personal spiritual well-being. Future research is needed to determine how a spiritual self-care app may benefit mental health, sleep, and spiritual well-being in adult GenZennials.