Sapien Labs

A big thank you to Eric Dolan and PsyPost for the tremendous coverage of Sapien Labs’ research on the age of first smartphone ownership and mental wellbeing in young adulthood and for highlighting our recently published device-free summer camp study. Eric’s article takes a deep look at findings from more than 100,000 young adults across 163 countries. The research found that receiving a smartphone before age 13 was associated with progressively poorer mind health outcomes in young adulthood, with earlier access to social media emerging as a major factor in that relationship. The article also connects these findings to an important question we are continuing to explore: Can some of the cumulative effects associated with our increasingly digital childhood environments be reversed? One example is our recently published device-free summer camp study, which followed 192 adolescents during stays of two-to-three weeks at a residential summer camp without smartphones or social media. Two studies looking at different sides of the same challenge: how the environments in which young people grow up may shape their long-term mental wellbeing. Thank you, Eric, for taking the time to dig into the research and help bring these findings to a wider audience. #MentalHealth #YouthMentalHealth #Smartphones #SocialMedia #DigitalWellbeing #Research

192 teens. No phones. Weeks at summer camp. What changed? Quite a bit. A new peer-reviewed study from Sapien Labs, published in Mental Health & Prevention, followed 192 adolescents over two summers at a device-free residential camp in Maine. No phones. No social media. Instead: face-to-face connection, time outdoors, physical activity and hands-on experiences. By the time they left camp: Overall Mind Health scores increased by an average of 10.1 points. Teens who arrived struggling saw the biggest gains, with a median improvement of 27 points. Nearly half said they felt a stronger sense of belonging at camp than they do at school. The findings are especially interesting given the growing conversation around teen mental health, screen time and social connection. Because this was an observational study without a control group, the findings don’t isolate device removal from the other parts of the camp experience, including more movement, time outdoors and face-to-face social connection. And maybe that’s part of the bigger conversation. What happens when we give young people more opportunities to disconnect from their screens and reconnect with each other and the world around them? The study was conducted in collaboration with UC San Diego Health and funded by Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego. A big thank you to Matt Pines and the team at Maine Teen Camp for making this research possible! Read the full peer-reviewed study: https://lnkd.in/gy_2RnCb #TeenMentalHealth #MentalHealth #MindHealth #ScreenTime #GlobalMindProject

A clearer picture of your mind health can be a powerful place to start. Sapien Labs is partnering with ThisWayUp to make the Mind Health Quotient (MHQ) freely available to its community of women and teens. The MHQ is a validated assessment that provides a personalized snapshot of cognitive, emotional and social wellbeing. Through this partnership, more people can better understand their own mind health while contributing to the Global Mind Project’s broader understanding of the factors shaping wellbeing around the world. We’re excited to work with Cat Miller and the ThisWayUp team to make evidence-led tools more accessible and give more women and teens a practical place to start. Take the free MHQ: https://lnkd.in/g_u7Z2MN #MindHealth #MentalHealth #WomensMentalHealth #TeenMentalHealth

What does early access to smartphones mean for the developing mind? New coverage from Newsweek examines the changing digital landscape for children and features Sapien Labs’ global research linking smartphone ownership before age 13 with poorer mind health and well-being in early adulthood. The findings highlight why the timing matters and the need to protect young minds before every long-term effect is fully understood. Thank you to Amanda Greenwood and Newsweek for including Sapien Labs’ research and Dr. Tara Thiagarajan’s perspective in this important conversation. Read the article: https://lnkd.in/gqW9F9Mv

Join us Wednesday, April 22 at 12 PM EST as Schools for Strong Minds launches a new monthly webinar series for school leaders. Getting to the Root: Rethinking Student Mind Health and Wellbeing Through a Real World Case Study. Drawing on insights from the Sapien Labs Global Mind Project, the world’s largest database on mental health and wellbeing, we’ll explore: - The dramatic shifts in adolescent wellbeing across the modern world - How technology, food, and modern environments are reshaping brain development - Real-world insights from our programs in schools and summer camps We’re also joined by Corleigh Robert Stixrud, former Head of School at Kodaikanal International School (2013–2025), who will share a powerful, on-the-ground case study. This session is ideal for school leaders, educators, counselors, and policymakers ready to rethink how we support young minds. You’ll leave with practical, school-wide strategies to both increase achievement and foster student wellbeing. 👉 Register Here: https://lnkd.in/g_5iy5TK #StudentWellbeing #EducationLeadership #MentalHealth #Schools #EdLeaders

An evidence-based discussion on the causes of declining youth mental health & the concrete, school-wide strategies that can help reverse it. Ideal for school leaders, teachers, counselors and policymakers. This webinar will shift how you think about and act on student wellbeing.

This perspective from Rahul Varma really captures what many leaders are seeing right now. We’re hearing this more and more: something is not working for the next generation. And the data now reflects it. Global mind health is declining across younger populations, particularly in high income countries. What shows up in families and leadership circles as anxiety, depression, or loss of purpose is part of a broader, measurable shift. This raises a harder question. If the environments we’ve built are contributing to this trajectory, what responsibility do we have to rethink them?

CNBC reports that Finland is ranked #1 again, which raises a bigger question: what are we actually measuring when we talk about “happiness”? The World Happiness Report is based on life evaluation, not how people actually feel and function day to day. Data from the Global Mind Project takes a different approach, measuring mind health across 47 dimensions, and it tells a more nuanced story, especially for younger populations. As conversations around wellbeing evolve, it is worth asking: are we capturing lived experience, or just perception? https://lnkd.in/g5bu7rYK Learn more in the Global Mind Health Report: https://lnkd.in/d3fAs3D6

Thank you to Robin von Dietze-Ohle for highlighting findings from the Global Mind Health Report. The data suggest a significant generational shift in mind health, particularly in more affluent countries. Patterns across countries point to the influence of social, technological and lifestyle environments shaping outcomes for young adults. These are complex trends and an important area for continued research and dialogue.

Tanzania and the United Kingdom illustrate two very different environments shaping young adults’ mind health. The 2025 Global Mind Health Report shows how stronger family bonds and spirituality align with better mind health outcomes, while earlier smartphone exposure and higher ultra processed food consumption align with worse outcomes. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/d3fAs3D6