Pathways between digital activity and depressed mood in adolescence: outlining a developmental model integrating risk, reactivity, resilience and reciprocity

Digital technology use (i.e. digital activity) has been proposed to contribute to a decline in adolescents’ mental health. We present a new model of how risky digital activity may increase depressed mood via reciprocal pathways, creating negative developmental cycles. Specifically, we hypothesize that risky digital activity increases depressed mood by evoking frequent and persistent negative affective (e.g. anger) and cognitive reactions (e.g. “I feel stupid”). These effects, we postulate, are compounded when depressed mood further increases both risky digital activity and negative affective and cognitive reactions to it. The model also proposes that these negative impacts of risky digital activity can be mitigated by actively managing it and/or the reactions it evokes. All pathways are hypothesized to be moderated by nondigital factors.