Intersecting Knowledge on Young People’s Well-Being and Use of Digital Technology Across Contexts: A Scoping Review Synthesis

Abstract

This literature review adds to the existing literature on the relationships between young people’s use of digital technology and their well-being by investigating how perceived excessive use of the Internet in one social setting may increase a person’s well-being in a different social setting. By combining clinical-psychological and digital literacy perspectives on well-being with a theoretical framework focussing on human vulnerability and the protective potential of human agency, the review’s thematic synthesis of 21 studies between 2011 and 2021 supports previous research suggesting that digital engagement can be a coping strategy for young people experiencing problems. First, the analysis examines how young people’s activity across social contexts represented by family, leisure, school and a digital space for democratic participation may affect their predefined roles as children or students, and how new possibilities for development and learning emerge. Second, the discussion combines the clinical-psychological and digital literacy perspectives for a deeper understanding of how young people’s agency may help them overcome different sources of vulnerability as obstacles to well-being. Thus, the review nuances the discussion on digital technology and well-being to understand what this technology represents to young people as they navigate, negotiate and struggle with the normal pitfalls of life.