Key Research
Young People Experiencing Internet-related Mental Health Difficulties: the Benefits and Risks of Digital Skills
Key Takeaways:
- For young people with mental health issues, having technical skills and using internet is not all good or bad
- Positive: help young people meet, talk, draw support and information
- Negatives: can be upsetting and trigger set backs
- Can feel proud or alone in dealing with online troubles. Even with these skills, things can get overwhelming and still go wrong
- Vulnerable people on lookout for threats; develop online skills to prevent harm. Often have high skills and knowledge, and know to avoid algorithms that provide harmful content and find safe spaces for support
- Young people wish the internet would be more friendly and supportive, and wish parents and therapist understood their digital lives
- Encourage young people to share online experiences and listen with empathy, understanding, and interest; telling them not to go online is impractical and counterproductive
- Teaching needs to go beyond technical skills and safety messages; teaching about algorithms and persuasive design is also necessary
- Companies need to reduce risk factors in design; Government has a role to play in overseeing companies
- Digital skill were seen through this report to be both individual and collective
LiveMore ScreenLess’ Summary
The young people spoken to in this study were generally skilled internet users, but sophisticated skills do not necessarily make for better mental health and wellbeing outcomes. Algorithms often acted as a distorting mirror, magnifying problematic content and pushing young people with vulnerabilities down a spiral of ever-more overwhelming, upsetting or extreme content.. Consequently, digital skills are insufficient when faced with a digital environment that is designed to operate in ways antithetical to users’ wellbeing.
Experiences of hardship were often understood as part of growing up in a digital world for these users. Stories were shared of growing confidence and maturity, and developing self-efficacy and resilience; however some revealed episodes of struggle, relapse and ‘failure’ to cope, and of a later recognition of the harmful impact.
Clearly, these young people developed skills to limit their digital exposure. Reducing hostile interactions, ‘addiction’ and efforts to ‘detox’ were popular themes. Managing technology is a way of managing their lives, trying to optimize their wellbeing, and reflecting on their motivations and identities.
Livingstone, Sonia, Stoilova, Mariya, Stänicke, Line Indrevoll, Jessen, Reidar Schei, Graham, Richard, Staksrud, Elisabeth, & Jensen, Tine. Young people experiencing internet-related mental health difficulties: the benefits and risks of digital skills. Zenodo. 2022.
Topics: Anxiety & Depression , Mental Health
Year: 2022
Hosting University: London School of Economics and Political Science
Participants: 62 in depth interview with 12 – 22 year olds from Norway and UK who experience mental health difficulties
