Digital media use and mental health in adolescents-a narrative review

• Published in: Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz Vol. 67; no. 4; p. 456
• Main Authors: Paschke, Kerstin, Thomasius, Rainer
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: German
• Published: Germany 01.04.2024
• Subjects: Adolescent; Child; Germany; Humans; Internet; Mental Health; Pandemics - prevention & control; Social Media; Germany; Children and adolescents; Media addiction; Internet; Use disorder; Cyberbullying
• ISSN: 1437-1588; 1437-1588
• DOI: 10.1007/s00103-024-03848-y

The opportunities and hazards of digital media, especially with regard to children and adolescents, are currently the subject of frequent family, school, and social debates.Digital platforms can support the accomplishment of adolescent developmental tasks through gaming and social exchange as well as communication and contact promotion, learning, and health promotion, and are widely used for entertainment. In Germany, almost all adolescents own a smartphone. During the COVID-19 pandemic, an intensification of the use of digital games, social media, and streaming offers by adolescents was observed. Exposure to age-uncensored content such as the depiction of violence, extreme political views, and conspiracy theories, as well as personal attacks through cyberbullying, unfiltered initiation of contact including cybergrooming, dysfunctional role models, and addiction-promoting aspects are associated with mental health risks.Cyberbullying affects about 5% of children and adolescents in Germany. A bidirectional relationship with mental health could be shown. The gaming disorder is the first digital media use disorder (DMUD) that has been included in the ICD-11 and thus internationally recognized as a mental illness. Adolescents are affected disproportionately often and experience impairments in their mental development and levels of functioning.Services are available to promote adolescent media literacy, and their expansion, structured application, and evaluation are needed. Evidence-based prevention and treatment options for DMUD are currently largely lacking. Their development, review, and dissemination should be further supported.