NOVA SBE HEALTH ECONOMICS & MANAGEMENT SEMINAR SERIES – APRIL 2026

In this month’s edition, we welcome Rita Dias Pereira, who will present her latest research

NOVA SBE Health Economics & Management Seminar Series – April 2026

In this month’s edition of the NOVA SBE Health Economics & Management Seminar Series, we welcome Rita Dias Pereira, who will present her latest research on the role of genetic predispositions in shaping adolescent social media use, examining how genetic susceptibility to educational attainment influences online behaviour.

📅 Date: 9th April 2026
⏰ Time: 14:00 – 15:30 (Lisbon Time)
📍 Location: Nova SBE | Room D-114

Title:
Genetic Predisposition for Schooling and Adolescent Social Media Use

ABSTRACT:

Governments around the world are increasingly regulating access to social media for young people, in response to growing evidence of its negative consequences.

A central policy question is whether intensive use reflects individual choice or pre-existing susceptibilities. We investigate whether genetic susceptibilities to educational attainment influence adolescent social media use using the Millennium Cohort Study.

We exploit the random transmission of genetic material from parents to children to isolate causal genetic effects.

To ensure the polygenic index (PGI) for education is not itself a consequence of social media use, we construct it using summary statistics from the UK Biobank, a sample of older adults who completed their schooling before the social media era.

We apply a two-sample Obviously-Related Instrumental Variables (ORIV) design based on two independent halves of the UKBiobank to correct for measurement error of the PGIs. We find that lower genetic propensity for schooling increases time spent on social media at ages 14 and 17, with the effect growing over time: a one-standard-deviation decrease in the PGI for education at 17 increases average daily use by approximately 30 minutes.

These findings demonstrate a causal genetic effect on social media use, supporting the view that platform engagement can exploit biological susceptibilities and that some adolescents may struggle to self-regulate their use.

Short Biography:

Rita Dias Pereira is a health and education economist with a focus on the intersection of genetics and socio-economic inequalities. Rita holds a postdoctoral position at Nova School of Business and Economics and a PhD in Economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam and Tinbergen Institute. Her work has been published in Nature Human Behaviour, Nature Communications, and the Journal of Human Resources.