Research on societal consequences of children and youth growing up in a digital society: systematic literature search with categorization

Key message

Children and youth are increasingly using screens, digital platforms, and other technology as a natural part of their everyday lives. The consequences of children's and youth’s digital upbringing can be both positive and negative.

We conducted a systematic review of the type 'systematic literature search with categorization' to identify research on the societal consequences of children and youth growing up in a digital society. We searched for literature, screened identified references and assessed their relevance according to the inclusion criteria. We categorized the studies that met the inclusion criteria.

A total of 605 studies met the inclusion criteria (all published 2020-2026):

• The majority of studies investigated mental health outcomes (n=411), and many also investigated learning, juvenile deliquency or non-normative behaviors, and structural changes
• The majority of studies were different types of literature reviews, but there were also many primary studies
• There were primary studies from all the Nordic countries, including many studies from Norway
• The study populations were children and youth of all ages, but youth seemed to be the group investigated most frequently
• The digital exposure / context that the studies examined varied greatly, but general screen/digital media use and social media were the most frequently studied.

This systematic review shows that there is a substantial body of research on the consequences of children and young people growing up in a digitalised society. However, the areas studied are unevenly distributed, with most research focusing on mental health outcomes. Outcomes at the societal level have been examined to a much lesser extent, and more research is needed on consequences related to, among other things, civic engagement and labour market participation.