The University of Oregon is conducting a study on the impact of phones on mental health using Google’s Health Studies app. The aim of the study is to observe how people actually use their phones and how this affects their mental health. Professor Nicholas Allen from the University of Oregon’s Department of Psychology commented on the project: “The data will be collected using the Google Health Studies app. Since the research will include data related to various medical conditions, Google will allow the app to let users control their sensitive data entries. This study will focus on the effects of smartphones on mental health.”
Google shared that volunteers who wish to participate in the research need to download the Google Health Studies app and sign up. Google will track all users’ health data, including daily step count. The project will last for four weeks, and Android users and adult U.S. citizens can participate. Google stated that participants’ identities will be kept confidential.
Researchers say they will collect direct, objective measurements of how people use their phones through passive and continuous sensing technology. They also note that your phone can directly measure many of the foundational health components, such as sleep and physical activity.
https://blog.google/technology/health/expanding-research-on-digital-wellbeing/