The Psychosocial Ecology of Adolescent Digital Addiction: A Review of Behavioral, Emotional, and Sleep-Related Outcomes

With rapid advancement in digital technologies, and their inculcation in the daily lives of adolescents, digital addiction has emerged as a significant issue among adolescents. Heavy usage of the smartphone and social media, online gaming and other electronic devices has been linked to various negative psychosocial and health outcomes such as behavioral issues, emotional problems, sleep deprivation etc. This review will draw upon existing literature to provide a synthesis of the psychosocial ecology of adolescent digital addiction, which will consider the multidimensional nature of factors that influence the development and impact of digital addiction. The review is based on theories and models that have been developed to deepen the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of problematic internet use such as: Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory, Interaction of Person–Affect–Cognition–Execution (I-PACE) Model, Uses and Gratifications Theory, Compensatory Internet Use Theory, Social Comparison Theory, and Self-Determination Theory. Results suggest that digital addiction is shaped by overlapping individual, family, school, peer, digital environmental and community factors; that psychological mechanisms like FOMO, reward sensitivity, emotional dysregulation and cognitive overload mediate the link between digital addiction and behavioral, emotional and sleep outcomes; and that digital addiction has a unique and multifaceted relationship with sleep. This review notes many important research gaps, such as research with longitudinal design, across different cultures, and with interventions, and stresses the need for multi-disciplinary approaches that incorporate families, educators, health care systems, policy makers, and technology developers. A psychosocial ecological approach offers a broad view of the phenomenon of adolescent digital addiction and assists in the design of successful digital addiction prevention, intervention and digital well-being programs.