Not all adolescents are the same
The impacts of technology vary significantly according to individual characteristics (such as gender, age, individual traits, or frequency and type of media use).
People experience various impacts on different aspects of well-being
The impacts of technology use vary across the different areas of psychological, physical, and social well-being of adolescents.
While the impact may be positive in one area of well-being, it could be negative in another.
Smartphone use can raise stress levels in some adolescents
Spending more time on social networking apps slightly decreases positive affect and increases negative affect.
No causal effect on affect was found for entertainment apps like videos and games.
Do not worry about the socialisation of adolescents
For social well-being (i.e., improvement or worsening of social skills, finding social support, and the impact of sexting), no negative or positive causal impacts of smartphone use, social media, and other technologies were found.
Differences between girls and boys
Comments on social media posts that praise ideal beautiful bodies have a causal impact on the dissatisfaction of one’s own body, but only for adolescent girls.
There are differences between boys and girls in some studies, again depending on the specific type of well-being.
What adolescents do matters
It matters how exactly adolescents use social media, smartphones, and other technologies.
F.e. increased use of social media on smartphones can make adolescents feel worse in some cases, but using entertainment apps (e.g., playing games or watching videos) does not have any causal positive or negative impact on affect.
Distinguish short-term and long-term effects
A distinction needs to be made between the short-term and long-term impacts of using digital technologies.
Short-term impact on affect or other characteristics may not be related to long-term life satisfaction.
Do not panic
The question of the impact of smartphones, social media, and other technologies on adolescents does not have a simple and straightforward answer.
We should avoid the simplistic, hasty conclusions, and moral panics that are often spread in this area.
Reference: Smahel, D., Šaradín Lebedíková, M., Lacko, D., Kvardová, N., Mýlek, V., Tkaczyk, M., Svestkova, A., Gulec, H., Hrdina, M., Machackova, H., & Dedkova, L. (2025). Tech & Teens: Insights from 15 Studies on the Impact of Digital Technology on Well-Being. EU Kids Online. https://doi.org/10.21953/lse.g4asyqkcrum7