Young people want adults to be involved in their digital lives
Young people have a nuanced view of how their digital lives affect their mental health and want more support and involvement from the adults around them. This is shown in an international study published in The Journal of Adolescent Health by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in collaboration with UNICEF.
The researchers investigated young people’s own perceptions of how their digital habits affect their mental health. The study is based on 71 qualitative group interviews with young people aged 12–19 in both richer and poorer countries, with an average of eight participants per group. The young people came from widely different cultures in eleven countries: Belgium, Chile, Egypt, Indonesia, Jamaica, Jordan, China, Malawi, Switzerland, Sweden and the United States.
“It was surprising how similarly adolescents from different countries spoke about both the effects of digital environments and the support they want from adults,” says Leo Ziegel, doctor and researcher at the Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, and co-first author of the study. “It says a great deal about how we live in a globalised digital world today.”
A nuanced view
The young people described how constant comparisons with others can create negative feelings. Many feel that body ideals and social norms are reinforced online, and that the number of ‘likes’ becomes a measure of self-worth.
Bullying and harassment that begins at school can also continue online, making it difficult to find opportunities to recover. In addition, the adolescents described how they can become ‘addicted’ to their phones and spend many hours passively scrolling on social media.
At the same time, they highlighted several positive aspects. Digital platforms play a crucial role in the social lives of many young people. Even purely virtual friendships were perceived as very important, with the opportunity to meet peers with similar interests and be accepted for who you are. For some, it may be easier to talk about mental health online, especially in communities where such issues are taboo.
Need more support from adults
Young people stated that adults are not sufficiently involved or do not understand what children and adolescents do online, and that many adults do not reflect on their own digital everyday lives.
“As a parent, it is good to try to have an open dialogue with your children about these issues and also to try to be a good role model,” says Carl Fredrik Sjöland, doctor and PhD student at the Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, and co-first author of the study. “Teachers and decision-makers also need to engage with young people’s digital lives and take their perspectives into account. Initiatives that promote safer online environments should be designed together with young people to be relevant.”
The study did not focus on how much time young people spend on their mobile phones or computers, but according to the adolescents themselves, it is not only screen time that matters for mental health. At least as important is what they do online, how and with whom they communicate, and whether it affects their sleep, studies or social activities.
The study is part of UNICEF’s State of the World's Children 2021 report and was conducted in collaboration with researchers from several countries. It was funded by the Wellcome Trust and UNICEF. The researchers report no conflicts of interest.
Publication
“Adolescent Mental Health and Digital Communication: Perspectives From 11 Countries”, Leo Ziegel, Carl Fredrik Sjöland, Xiayun Zuo, Shoshanna L. Fine, Anna Mia Ekström, Journal of Adolescent Health, online 2 September 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2024.02.037.