Dr Samantha Teague is a mental health researcher focused on improving the wellbeing of children, parents and families. Her work addresses a growing challenge: mental health problems often begin early in life, yet many families struggle to access timely support. This is particularly true in regional, rural and remote communities, where long distances, workforce shortages and limited services can make it difficult to get help when it is needed most.
At the same time, digital technologies such as social media, mobile apps and artificial intelligence have become part of everyday family life. These technologies can create new risks for mental health, but they also offer powerful opportunities to connect people with support. Dr Teague’s research aims to better understand how digital technologies influence mental health across childhood and parenthood, and how they can be used safely and effectively to improve outcomes for families who might otherwise miss out on care.
Dr Teague is developing and testing new ways to deliver mental health support through the digital technologies people already use every day. Her research combines large-scale studies of children’s development and wellbeing with the design of innovative digital mental health programs for parents, children and young people.
Her work has helped uncover how children’s and adolescents’ use of social media, video games and other digital media is linked to later mental health outcomes. She is currently investigating the impact of Australia’s social media ban for young people, while also developing early interventions that support healthy technology use from childhood.
A major focus of her research is ensuring that people living outside major cities can access evidence-based mental health support. One of her current projects, Beyond the Bump, is co-designing and testing a social media-based program to support the mental health of expectant and new mothers across regional and remote North Queensland. The program delivers trusted information, peer support and practical psychological strategies through a platform that many women already use, making support more accessible at a critical stage of life.
Through this work, Dr Teague hopes to reshape how mental health support is delivered to children, young people and families. Her research is demonstrating how digital technologies can be used safely and effectively to reach underserved communities, improve access to care, and give more families the opportunity to thrive.