CfP Digital Environments and Mental Health in Young People: Challenges and Opportunities

Description and core topics
Digital environments and platforms, such as social networks and instant messaging services, have transformed the way we interact and communicate, facilitating the sharing, discussion, and exchange of content among users through their devices. These platforms have become a fundamental part of the lives of young people and adolescents, providing them with spaces to construct their identity as well as to connect with peers and wider audiences (Kietzmann et al., 2011). This interaction between socialization and digital environments is global, with more than 80% of European youth using the internet daily to engage with social networks (Eurostat, 2022).

The impact of social media use on mental health and well-being is particularly evident among minors and young people. Adolescence is a period marked by biological, psychological, and social changes, including the development of behaviors aimed at emotional self-regulation, impulse control, and the construction of a personal identity (Zacarés et al., 2009). At the same time, the importance of social context and peer acceptance becomes more pronounced, leading adolescents to be increasingly concerned about how they are perceived by their peers and the broader community. This concern is amplified by constant exposure on social networks, directly influencing their identity formation process (Blakemore & Mills, 2014).

These changes make this stage particularly vulnerable to risks associated with digital presence, including mental health disorders. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one in seven adolescents aged 10 to 19 (14%) globally suffers from a mental disorder (WHO, 2022). One of the most alarming examples of the rise in youth mental health issues and their link to social networks is the phenomenon of self-harm. The Spanish Pediatric Association (2022) and the ANAR Foundation (2020 and 2023) have highlighted a significant increase in self-harm among minors, particularly following measures implemented to curb COVID-19. It is estimated that 18% of minors self-harm before the age of 18 (Spanish Pediatric Association, 2022), and following the return to school after the lockdown in 2020, self-harm among adolescents increased by 246.2% compared to the previous year (ANAR, 2020 and 2023).

Adolescents often begin self-harming at very young ages, around 11 years old, with the behavior being most common between 14 and 17 years old (American Psychiatric Association, 2023). These self-harming behaviors are often used as strategies to manage difficult emotions, such as anxiety, distress, stress, frustration, or anger, when other tools for coping are unavailable. However, many of these young individuals end up creating digital communities on social networks where they share their physical and emotional pain (Martínez-Pastor et al., 2023; Martínez-Pastor & Gaete-Salgado, 2023; Martín Muñoz & Atauri Mezquida, 2024).

Additionally, social networks have been identified as a potential risk factor for mental health problems among youth, primarily due to excessive time spent online and exposure to certain types of content (Huang, 2017; Dooley et al., 2019). Nevertheless, they are also recognized as a valuable tool for improving mental health literacy and promoting help-seeking behaviors (Naslund et al., 2020; Zabaleta et al., 2023). While internet use may initially serve as a coping mechanism and mood regulator in response to pre-existing depressive symptoms, over time it can lead to problematic use (Gámez-Guadix, 2014).

Therefore, early detection and prevention of mental health issues are most effective when targeted at adolescent populations (Solmi et al., 2022), utilizing the platforms and languages they are familiar with. Given the significant amount of time adolescents spend on social networks, it is essential to understand both the risks and benefits their use may entail. In this context, digital media, as agents of socialization today, can significantly influence the behaviors of young people and society at large. This media influence can have a preventive effect, known as the Papageno effect, or be detrimental, creating a contagion effect, also referred to as the Werther effect (Niederkrotenthaler et al., 2010).

We invite submissions that employ a variety of methodologies, including large-scale surveys, social media content analysis, in-depth interviews, focus groups, case studies, longitudinal studies, comparative analyses, and mixed methods designs. Studies that combine quantitative and qualitative approaches to offer a comprehensive view of the phenomenon are particularly encouraged. Authors are also welcome to explore novel methodologies that can deepen our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the relationship between social media use and adolescent mental health.

Themes
This special issue aims to explore the link between social media use, digital communities, and youth well-being, with a particular emphasis on the risks and benefits for mental health. From an interdisciplinary perspective, we invite researchers, research groups, and academics to submit original articles addressing any of the following topics (but not limited to):

• The impact of social media use on the psychological and emotional well-being of youth.
• Communication strategies to prevent mental health problems in digital environments.
• Digital communities around mental health issues: self-harm, eating disorders, etc...
• The role of digital identity in adolescence and its relationship with self-esteem and self-perception.
• Cyberbullying and its effects on mental health.
• Digital addictions and mental health.
  Social media influencers and their impact on adolescents' self-perception and mental health. Privacy and intimacy on social media and their relationship with emotional well-being.
• Representations of mental health problems in the media and social media: myths, realities, and consequences.
• Content moderation on social media.
  Regulation and self-regulation of social media.

Keywords:

Adolescence and mental health; emotional health;  digital risks for young people; regulation and self-regulation of social networks;  self-harm risk behaviors;  anorexia;  bulimia;  challenges; gender inequality in mental health.

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