Dr Samantha Marsh’s research on social media and wellbeing

Dr Samantha Marsh

Dr Samantha Marsh is a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland. She holds a PhD examining the relationship between screen use and childhood obesity in New Zealand children and adolescents. Her more recent research focuses on how smartphones and social media shape adolescent wellbeing, alongside the lived experiences of parents raising children in a digital world.

Her work has a particular focus on how family relationships and screen use are intertwined, and she has developed interventions to support families in managing children’s screen use. Beyond research, Dr Marsh is active in policy engagement, advocating for smartphone-free schools, enforced age restrictions on social media, and evidence-based public health responses to online harms.

Currently, there is little New Zealand-based research into parental attitudes and perceptions of adolescent social media use, making this work vital for understanding the current landscape. By building this evidence base, Dr Marsh aims to guide parents, schools, communities, and government in making informed decisions. Her research is designed to lead to practical solutions - from stronger policy frameworks to effective school and community interventions - that protect and empower young people in an increasingly digital world.

Freemasons Foundation is proudly supporting her work – ensuring that New Zealand stays at the forefront of this debate to address a real public health issue.

You can read more about Samantha here: https://profiles.auckland.ac.nz/sam-marsh