Digital technology: A mixed bag for mental health?

At a time when more teenagers are glued to their phones and computers than ever before, a new study suggests increased use of digital technology could have ramifications for the mental health of teenagers at risk of behavioral and attention problems… but it could also have its upsides.

Published on May 3 in Child Development, the study is the work of researchers from Duke University and Pennsylvania State University, who set out to examine what relationship daily digital technology usage could have on the mental health of at-risk adolescents.

They found that adolescents, already prone to mental health issues such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and various conduct disorders, exhibited an increase in symptoms when they used digital technology more.

However, the study also suggested that an increase in technology usage was linked with a decrease in depression and anxiety.

Given the sheer amount of time that young people spend using technology, with the average US adolescent using screen-based media such as mobile phones for around 9 hours per day, the potential effect this could have on their mental well-being is naturally a fairly hot topic. There have been previous studies which set out to shed some light on the potential consequences, but these mostly focused on the effects of TV and video games, as opposed to more social activities like texting or online communication.

To see the effect of digital technology, 151 adolescents between 11-15 years old with a pre-disposition for mental health problems were asked to complete a survey 3 times per day for a month on their daily usage of technology, including browsing the internet, using social media and texting.

18 months later, their mental health symptoms were assessed to see if there had been any changes.

The study found that, in general, when the adolescents spent more time using digital technology than normal, their behavioural problems and attention problems were likely to be worse that same day. They also noticed that when the adolescents reported experiencing the symptoms of ADHD, they were more likely to spend a higher amount of time using technology the next day.

According to Professor Candice Odgers, the senior author of the study, it isn’t clear whether increased use of technology was a by-product of the increased mental health issues they experienced that day, or whether it was the technology itself that made the symptoms worse.

The researchers also reported that young people who spent more time online during the study seemed to show a worsening of their mental health symptoms after the 18 month follow up assessment – the first time a study in this area has done so.

The results of the study weren’t all negative though – they also found that increased time texting and going online seemed to help the adolescents feel less anxious and depressed.

This could potentially be down to digital technology helping to distract the participants from any negative symptoms or feelings, the authors suggest. It could also be a result of the adolescents connecting with others in a more positive way through social media.

“This finding makes sense when you think about how kids are commonly using devices to connect with their peers and social networks,” Professor Odgers said.

Since the study was only focused on adolescents who were already at risk from mental health issues, it’s still difficult to say what effect spending long periods of time using technology could have on the mental health of young people in general. It’s a complex issue, and more work is needed to understand what effect it could have.

Professor Odgers and Madeleine George, a PhD candidate at Duke University and the lead author of this study, are now following up on this work to understand why higher digital technology use could lead to worse mental health issues among certain adolescents, and whether it could be used to actually help improve symptoms.