Brad Ridout

Associate Professor Brad Ridout is an Associate Professor of Cyberpsychology in the Faculty of Medicine and Health at the University of Sydney, where he serves as Deputy Chair and co-founder of the Cyberpsychology Research Group. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology and Bachelor of Science with Honours in Psychology from the University of Sydney, completing his PhD between 2011 and 2014 with support from the DBH Scholarship. As a registered psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia and Member of the Australian Psychological Society (MAPS), Ridout has built a career bridging research and practical implementation in digital health.

Ridout's research specializations encompass cyberpsychology, with a focus on digital mental health interventions, the impact of social media on youth wellbeing, virtual reality applications for managing psychological distress in adolescents undergoing medical procedures, online social norm interventions to curb alcohol misuse among university students, and social media dynamics in conflict-affected regions like Myanmar. His scholarly contributions include over 1,640 citations and an h-index of 14. Key publications feature 'Social Media Use by Young People Living in Conflict-Affected Regions of Myanmar' (2020, Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking), 'The Use of Social Networking Sites in Mental Health Interventions for Young People: Viewpoint' (2018, Journal of Medical Internet Research), 'Using Facebook to Deliver a Social Norm Intervention to Reduce Drinking' (2014, Drug and Alcohol Review), 'Effectiveness of Virtual Reality Interventions for Adolescent Patients in Regional Paediatric Hospitals: Protocol for a Pilot and Feasibility Study' (2021, JMIR Research Protocols), and 'Development and Evaluation of Kids Helpline's My Circle' (2023). He has secured funding for projects such as the Kids Helpline My Circle app in partnership with Bupa Foundation and Kids Helpline, and the Mobile Myanmar study with Save the Children, influencing evidence-based digital mental health strategies and international reports on social media risks.

Professional Email: brad.ridout@sydney.edu.au