Stanford Youth Study — US Parents & Kids (Age 9–13)

Mercor is recruiting participants for the Youth Well-being Project, a research study led by Stanford University in collaboration with Bocconi University, focused on how smartphones and digital tools affect children and families.

📋 Applications are open now. We're accepting applications at this stage to finalize and confirm participants for the upcoming batch, which begins in January. Apply now to lock in your spot — selected applicants will have their place confirmed ahead of the January start.

✅ Who can take part — please read carefully

• You are a parent/guardian based in the United States
• You have a child aged 9–13
• Your child has their own smartphone with an active SIM card (a working phone number). This is required — the study involves installing an app on the child's phone, so a tablet, Wi‑Fi‑only device, or a phone without a SIM will not qualify.
• You and your child are willing to take part together

You can pick one child to take part with you — one child per household.

What you'll be asked to do

• Complete a few short online surveys plus occasional text-message check-ins across the study
• Install a parental-control app on your child's phone and keep it installed for the study period
• Your child completes two short online surveys and a few text-message check-ins

Engagement details

• Start: January (applications are being finalized now)
• Format: Remote — online surveys + short text-message check-ins
• Time commitment: The study runs over ~8 weeks. Active time is light — the surveys are short and the app simply stays installed on your child's phone during that period, with a few quick check-ins along the way
• Compensation: A flat fee of $110, paid once on completion
• Participation: One child per household

Why participate

• Contribute to Stanford + Bocconi research on children's well-being in the digital age
• Help parents make more informed decisions about technology
• Flexible, remote participation

We consider all qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics and provide reasonable accommodations upon request.

Contract and Payment Terms

• You will be engaged as an independent contractor.
• This is a fully remote role that can be completed on your own schedule.
• Projects can be extended, shortened, or concluded early depending on needs and performance.
• Your work at Mercor will not involve access to confidential or proprietary information from any employer, client, or institution.
• Payments are weekly on Stripe or Wise based on services rendered.
• Please note: We are unable to support H1-B or STEM OPT candidates at this time.

About Mercor

Mercor partners with leading AI labs and enterprises to train frontier models using human expertise. You will work on projects that focus on training and enhancing AI systems. You will be paid competitively, collaborate with leading researchers, and help shape the next generation of AI systems in your area of expertise.