How Do Digital Technologies Affect Adolescents? Insights from 15 Studies on the Impact of Digital Technology on Well-Being
As part of Safer Internet Day 2025, the Interdisciplinary Research Team on Internet and Society (IRTIS), a member of the EU Kids Online network, presents a new report with key findings from 15 comprehensive studies examining the impact of digital technology use on adolescent wellbeing.
From 2020 to 2025, researchers from IRTIS at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic conducted a series of in-depth studies exploring how smartphones, social networks, and online gaming influence adolescents' psychological, social, and physical wellbeing. Through longitudinal studies, experiments, and intensive data collection via mobile phones, these studies offer unique insights into the varying effects of digital technology use.
Key findings indicate that these effects are influenced by individual characteristics such as gender, age, media use frequency, and usage patterns. The results highlight the complexity of the relationship between technology use and adolescent wellbeing, where some adolescents experience positive outcomes, and others face challenges.
One study focused on the relationship between smartphone use and stress, revealing that increased smartphone use was linked to higher stress levels in about 20% of adolescents. Moreover, these negative effects were more pronounced in individuals with specific patterns of smartphone use. Adolescents using their phones consistently throughout the day reported higher stress levels. Michaela Šaradín Lebedíková, the study's author, suggests that discussions should focus not only on screen time but on the nature of engagement. Strategies to regulate stressful aspects of phone use, such as reducing notifications, could help minimise stress.
Another study examined the link between social gaming, depressed mood, and loneliness. While changes in social gaming did not significantly affect depressed mood overall, increased social gaming was associated with a slight decrease in loneliness, with notable gender differences. For boys, playing more social games was linked to lower levels of depressed mood and loneliness. However, for girls, increased social gaming was associated with higher levels of depressed mood and loneliness. David Lacko, the study's author, suggests that these differences may stem from distinct motivations for gaming among boys and girls.
The researchers also investigated how smartphone use before bed influences sleep quality. Contrary to expectations, adolescents who used their smartphones more than usual before bedtime tended to go to sleep slightly earlier and sleep slightly longer. However, increased use of other media, such as computers and laptops, led to later sleep times. These findings suggest that the effects of technology use on sleep are complex and depend on the type of media used.
The results of 15 studies are published in an extensive report that was recently released as part of the European project EU Kids Online: https://webcentrum.muni.cz/media/3804169/euko_irtis_report_2025.pdf
Please cite as: 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.
