Can digital technologies promote adolescent well-being?

Digital communication and information systems (DCISs) have become ubiquitous. Adolescents are avid users of these technologies. As access to and use of DCISs has increased among adolescents, daily life and adolescent social interaction patterns have shifted in profound ways. Although the causal relationship between DCIS use and adolescent well-being is not clear, it is clear that the economy driving DCIS innovation is not designed to promote adolescent well-being. Yet, DCISs possess characteristics that make them promising avenues for well-being promotion because of their accessibility, ability to scale up, and the potential for personalization. In this essay, we propose that strengthening adolescent well-being skills through DCIS interventions may provide the necessary conditions for adaptive adolescent DCIS use at a public health scale, leading to improved adolescent well-being.