A new report published today examines the scientific evidence on the effects of the internet in young people’s mental health and has found that we have a rapidly closing window to ensure emergent AI technologies are safe, healthy and empowering for young people worldwide.
The impact of internet use on young people's mental health has become a critical concern for many. With an overwhelming amount of information available, it can be challenging to separate evidence-based knowledge from low-quality sources.
In response, MQ Mental Health Research, in collaboration with Melbourne University, Harvard University’s Digital Psychiatry Institute and researchers from the Oxford Internet Institute conducted a comprehensive review of the research into the effects of the internet on youth mental health, both positive and negative.
What does the report say?
The report argues that existing protective measures are often mis-informed because most studies on internet and young peoples mental health are poorly designed, simplistic, and usually over focus on associated harms of screen time, social media and gaming.
“Debating about measures to limit screen-time is almost pointless when the limits between the offline and the online world are getting blurrier by the minute, and expected to disappear completely in the near future (…) In the age of AI, the Internet of Things (IoT) and surveillance capitalism, algorithms that know us better than we know ourselves will be omni-present. We have a rapidly closing window to influence this technology development for good before it is completely autonomous” says Mariana Bolivar, author of the report.
This comprehensive review of the existing evidence has found that extensive internet use is not in itself harmful for young people, but rather it is the experiences that are had online that can impact the mental health and wellbeing of individuals.
The report analyses the nuances while providing practical recommendations for families. For example, a key consideration for parents and carers to determine how healthy is someone’s use of the internet is to look at what the internet is replacing, this is what the young person could be doing instead.
Internet use can harm mental health if it displaces healthy habits such as sleep, academic work, sports and face-to-face interactions. This can negatively impact cognitive function, emotional regulation, academic performance, self-image and social relationships. However, online activities can also replace unhelpful ones, such as rumination patterns, loneliness, negative emotions or behaviours.
The report mentions that for children and young people who have a diverse and fulfilling life offline, the online world is more likely to be an expansion of these positive aspects, whereas the opposite is also true.
“Today, more than half of youth report being online ‘nearly all the time’ and internet use is simply part of their world.” Says Dr John Torous from Harvard University.
“Understanding the impact of this technology exposure has rapidly emerged as a topic of global interest among clinicians, teachers, policymakers, technology developers, researchers, parents, and even youth themselves. Initial efforts to classify digital exposure into binary buckets of all-bad or all-good have proven inadequate and even misleading. For many years, we have seen strong and consistent evidence that some youth report mental health benefits from internet exposure, others worsening, and still others no impact at all.”
More must be done to protect young people's mental health
Crucial areas currently overlooked, according to the report include the ethical use of behavioural data, transparency in algorithmic processes, addictive technology features and measures to limit exposure to triggering content, all of which can significantly impact the mental health of young users.
The report recommends that more be done by industry leaders and big tech companies to share their vast amounts data with independent research, for it to develop adequate measures to protect young people, particularly in the face of technological developments which are emerging at speed, such as AI.
Read the full report here.
This project was generously funded by The Prudence Trust.
