Marie Bragg, PhD

Dr. Marie Bragg is a tenured Associate Professor at the NYU School of Medicine and licensed clinical psychologist. She also holds a joint appointment in the Marketing Department at the NYU Stern School of Business. Her research examines the ways children and teens are affected by social media, AI chatbots, and digital advertising of health-harming products (e.g., junk food; alcohol; tobacco). Her work focuses on: influencer marketing and persuasion; eating disorder and body image content; risky viral challenges; sextortion; online gaming safety; and age-inappropriate features of social media and AI chatbots. Dr. Bragg works with parents, policymakers, and school districts to help them: 1) stay up-to-date on risks youth face in the digital ecosystem; 2) identify signs that a child/teen may be at risk of harm online; and 3) use best practices for preventing poor mental health and physical health outcomes among youth who use digital technology. Her research has been featured in the New York Times, TEDx, NPR, TIME, The Atlantic, Fox News, CBS, NBC, and the WSJ. She has served as an expert reviewer for the World Health Organization and U.S. Food and Drug Administration. From 2024-2025, she served at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission as a Senior Behavioral Expert in the Bureau of Consumer Protection where she examined the risks of digital technologies on children and teens. Dr. Bragg earned her PhD in clinical psychology at Yale University.

COI Statement: Dr. Bragg reports financial compensation for roles as an expert witness in social media litigation cases, Senior Behavioral Expert for the FTC, and a consultant for school districts in New York; unfunded activities of submitting expert testimony for Maryland AI policy and NYC Council bill on social media, and speaking before the US Congress staff on AI safety; and NIH funding for research on state social media policies.