The effect of digital mass media on mental health of children and youth

Abstract

The article considers the impact of digital media on mental health of children and the youth based on the analysis of studies of national and foreign researchers. On the one hand, the application of information technologies by children and the youth is related to requirements of actual reality that allows them to be active and independent in virtual space and contributes to development of special skills and abilities, exchange of knowledge and experience, broadens scope of interests. On the other hand, the information media establish conditions of high risk for health. The article presents the results of an empirical study, carried out in 2019 at the Balashov Institute of the Saratov State University. The questionnaire survey was applied to sampling of 386 respondents to identify the relationship between the amount of time spent online by young people and the feeling of loneliness. The study discovered that the higher is the user Internet activity that is not accompanied by sense of satisfaction, the higher is the level of frustration and loneliness. The problem areas are identified that make it difficult to ensure the effective safety of users and the timely identification of threats to their mental health: the shortage and fragmentation of scientific research; the ambiguity of opinions of expert community regarding the impact of digital technologies on the development of children and adolescents; the complexity of social control of online users due to their social demographic and sociocultural heterogeneity; the conflict of interests between providers, business structures, advertisers and other subjects of virtual reality and underage users; low level of internet literacy of parents and teachers. All these factors hinder the development of adequate technologies of early detection, prevention and support of victims of cyberaggression or cybercrimes.