The Hidden Costs of Digital Connectivity: Adolescent Mental Health in the Digital Age

Anamika

The Hidden Costs of Digital Connectivity: Adolescent Mental Health in the Digital Age

Author(s)	Dr. Anamika
Country	India
Abstract	In the era of digital advancements, there is a prevalent utilization of mobile devices and other gadgets among teenagers. They typically dedicate around 3-4 hours daily to activities such as messaging, chatting, gaming, and viewing videos. This excessive engagement has led to various mental health challenges among adolescents. While the contemporary digital landscape enhances communication by making it more efficient, rapid, and informative for young people, it simultaneously creates opportunities for misuse and abuse. Consequently, the digital realm exerts both beneficial and detrimental influences on young individuals and their mental well-being. The current study primarily aims to analyze the results from various research conducted by scholars. Nonetheless, the insights from literature reviews are also considered. The current study primarily centers on analyzing the results from various researchers' investigations. However, reviews of the literature indicate detrimental effects on adolescents’ mental health; these effects vary depending on usage patterns. Procrastination and passive use tend to be associated with more negative outcomes, while social and active use corresponds with more positive effects. The impact of digital technology is found to be stronger on short-term indicators of hedonic well-being (such as negative feelings) compared to long-term assessments of eudaimonic well-being (like life satisfaction). The adverse effects can lead to socio-emotional and psychological vulnerabilities, including mental health issues. Additionally, behavioural and emotional dysregulation, along with negative experiences such as cyberbullying, are prevalent among this group. Although adolescents are particularly susceptible, the impact is similar for both adolescents and adults. It seems that both low and excessive usage are linked to a decline in well-being, while moderate usage is associated with enhanced well-being. The current study faces numerous limitations: future research should prioritize high-quality studies with large sample sizes, objective assessments of digital technology usage, and experience sampling methods for well-being.
Keywords	Adolescence, Digital World, Mental health, Well-being,
Field	Sociology > Philosophy / Psychology / Religion
Published In	Volume 17, Issue 1, January-March 2026
Published On	2026-03-31

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The Hidden Costs of Digital Connectivity: Adolescent Mental Health in the Digital Age

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