Young people experiencing internet-related mental health difficulties: the benefits and risks of digital skills. An empirical study.

Adolescents with mental health difficulties face intense risky situations online with problematic real-world consequences. While they are often digitally skilled, reflexive and supported by peers, adolescents do not feel that parents, educators or clinical professionals understand or respond to their digital problems sensitively or effectively. Young people with mental health difficulties tend to take individual responsibility to cope, often privately, with their digital lives. They put considerable efforts into critically analysing the affordances of digital products and services to develop their own specialised digital skills to pursue their interests, mitigate risk and seek support and help. Urgent steps are required to regulate and manage the digital environment in ways that vulnerable young people can trust and that meet their diverse and complex needs. Current efforts by public and commercial actors to support young people’s digital skills and agency and address their needs appear insufficient, even counterproductive.