THE HEALTHY AND ADAPTIVE MEDIA LAB
Research Projects
People
Publications
El-Lim Kim, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator, Lab Director
Thanos Daniilidis
Research Assistant, Hackman Summer Scholar 2026
Kha Nguyen
Research Assistant, Hackman Summer Scholar 2026
Research Projects
In the Healthy & Adaptive Media Lab, we investigate how popular media influences people’s mind and behaviors.
Have you ever spent too much time on your devices? Couldn’t stop scrolling? Stayed up all night? We all have been there (or at least know someone who has been there).
Media is powerful. It allows us to learn, connect, and fulfill our needs. Understanding how media affects our emotion, thoughts, and behaviors can inform us how to maximize the benefits of media use.
In the Healthy & Adaptive Media Lab, we study media use among adolescents and young adults. Below are some questions we are trying to answer:
1) Who is at risk of developing internet gaming disorder (video game addiction)?
2) How can we reduce the negative effects of social media use on youth mental health?
3) What role does media representation play in shaping our view of the social world?
People
Irem Kayser
Research Assistant, Spring 2026; Puff Summer Scholar 2026
Aleona Antonova
Research Assistant, Spring 2026
LAB ALUMNI
Mark Ma
Research Assistant, Hackman Summer Scholar 2025
Lauren Velazquez
Research Assistant, Hackman Summer Scholar 2025
Kim, E.-L., Rogojina, A., & Samson, K. (2026). The associations between media multitasking, sleep outcomes, and trait mindfulness. Psychology of Popular Media. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000674
Kim, E.-L, & Gentile, D. A. (2025). Recommendations for identifying and addressing addiction to video games. Journal of Health Service Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42843-025-00127-5
Kim, E.-L, Gentile, D. A., & Linder, J. R. (2025). Social media use and academic outcomes: The mediating role of grit. Social Psychology of Education, 28(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-024-09973-5
Kim, E.-L & Anderson, C. A. (2024). Aggression and popular media: From violence in entertainment media to news coverage of violence. In G. J. Rich, K. Kumar, & F. Farley (Eds.) Handbook of Media Psychology: The Science and Practice. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-56537-3_11
Kim, E.-L, Gentile, D. A., Choo, H., Liau, A., Li, D., & Khoo, A. (2023). Differential predictors of pathological gaming and internet use among school children: A two-year longitudinal study. Technology, Mind, and Behavior, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.1037/tmb0000109
Publications
