The influence of digital media on young people: experts comment on issues raised in Netflix's "Adolescence"

The complex relationship between digital media and mental health

Nine out of 10 children own a mobile phone by age 11. Rather than relying solely on in-person contact, young people now connect through social media platforms, instant messaging and video calls.

This shift in methods of communication proved helpful during the COVID-19 lockdowns, according to Professor Rina Dutta (Principal Investigator of the Social media, Smartphone Use and Self-Harm in Young People (3S-YP) study and clinical academic in the King's Maudsley Partnership for Children and Young People), allowing relationships to be maintained despite physical distance. It has also shown benefits for marginalised groups, such as neurodiverse and LGBTQ+ individuals, who have found support and community online.

However, Dr Sian Oram (Head of King's Women’s Mental Health and Director of the Violence, Abuse and Mental Health Network) cautions, "While digital technology can offer support and connection, especially for those who feel marginalised, it also displaces in-person interactions with fragmented, less emotionally rich ones."

A number of studies link high social media and smartphone use with increased rates of depression, anxiety, insomnia and self-harm. There is also a concern that the design of social platforms contributes to harmful comparisons, exposure to distressing content, and prioritises screentime over sleep, physical activity and time outdoors. 

As Dr Apurv Chauhan (Lecturer in Social and Cultural Psychology) highlights, it is not just about how much time adolescents spend online, but how  they use these platforms. “Passive scrolling and social comparison are linked to worse outcomes. But active engagement, like messaging friends or being part of supportive communities, can be positive.”

Ben Carter, a Professor of Medical Statistics who has expertise on the impact of technology on children, notes "A lot of evidence on social media and mental health is cross-sectional which means that we can’t say for sure whether it is the internet use that drives mental health or mental health states that drive internet use."

Identity, echo chambers and the rise of extreme ideologies

Digital technologies have changed how young people form their identities, exposing them to heightened social pressure and public scrutiny. Dr Chauhan expands, "The internet makes identity formation a very public process. For adolescents, the lines between trying things out privately and performing for an audience are blurred. They carefully curate what they show to others, constantly adjusting based on feedback like likes or comments."

He adds, "This feedback, often reduced to numbers or emoji reactions, plays a big role in how they understand their social value and can make them more susceptible to influence.”

The global scale at which young people can share their ideas through social media can also lead content to "over-influence their identity formation, especially if their access to digital technology is not regulated or supervised,” notes Professor Dutta.

With this in mind, the normalisation of extreme ideologies online is a growing concern. Dr Oram explains, “Online platforms can expose young people to extreme views quickly and repeatedly, often with content that validates personal grievances or provides a sense of belonging. Frustration is redirected away from structural causes of economic insecurity and social exclusion, and instead channelled towards women, feminists and progressive values.”

Dr Oram warns that "Ideologies rooted in misogyny or hate don’t always look extreme at first, but they can shape how young people treat others, how they see themselves, and what they believe is acceptable. Left unchallenged, these beliefs can fuel real-world violence, abuse, and entrenched inequality."

Masculinity and mental health

Dr Kennath Widanaralalage, a Lecturer in Psychology Education with expertise in domestic violence and the psychology of masculinity, points out that, “Although Adolescence  offers a timely depiction of how online spaces can radicalise young men, there is a parallel need to recognise the emotional, social and economic vulnerabilities that make some boys more susceptible to these messages.”

Suppression can have dire consequences, including disproportionately high suicide rates among boys and men.

Dr Widanaralalage also highlights the role of online spaces in promoting harmful ideologies: "We must contend with increasingly vocal and persuasive movements, especially online, that promote misogynistic, transphobic and homophobic content, pulling boys away from inclusive and emotionally literate forms of masculinity. Netflix’s Adolescence captures this dynamic powerfully."

Bullying and loneliness

While loneliness, social exclusion and bullying have always been part of the adolescent experience, “bullying and exclusion used to be specific to certain settings like schools. Now, the experience can follow young people everywhere through the social media apps on their phones,” says Dr Chauhan. “Loneliness is more complicated too; young people might have vast online networks but still feel intensely isolated, partly fuelled by curated portrayals of others' seemingly perfect social lives.”

The Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study, based at the IoPPN, has linked adolescent bullying victimisation with long-term mental health problems. Research from 2017 and 2020 shows that bullying (including cyberbullying) can predict loneliness and psychiatric difficulties well into adulthood, even when the victimisation stops and regardless of genetic predisposition.

The role of schools and parents

Schools are increasingly aware of the growing influence of harmful online content on students, particularly the spread of misogynistic rhetoric and ideologies. Dr Widanaralalage points to the urgent need for “dedicated teaching materials that equip schools to address the influence of online misogyny in a consistent and evidence-informed way. Anti-misogyny classes reflect a welcome shift in attention, but more is needed. At present, many of these interventions are ad hoc, relying on individual teachers rather than robust, sustained educational strategies.”

Parents also face growing challenges in navigating their children's online lives. Dr Oram notes how "Parents are often navigating platforms they didn’t grow up with, making it difficult to monitor their child’s online life or keep up with new trends."

Professor Dutta suggests that "Modelling parental screen-free time from an early age is critical to encourage young people to develop healthy digital habits."

Real-world implications

These online influences have real-world consequences. Dr Widanaralalage reflects: "It is telling that it has taken a fictional drama like Adolescence to bring mainstream attention to the radicalising potential of misogynistic online content, especially when there are multiple real-life examples of gender-based violence fuelled by such content."

He concludes “Regulation, education and open, critical dialogue are urgently needed to prevent more boys from being lost to harmful ideologies and to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all.”