Heavy digital technology use amongst young people has been linked to poor mental health and may pose risks for those who self-harm, are suicidal or have eating disorders. But digital technology can also be helpful to young people’s mental health. For example, it can be used to assess risk, deliver therapeutic interventions and to help practitioners build relationships with service users.
It has also been recommended by the Royal College of Psychiatrists that more mental health practitioners talk to younger patients about their digital technology use.
Our research explores questions around how young people’s digital technology use could be harnessed during mental health consultations with young people, to improve the delivery of care and to manage risk. As a first step, we want to scope current practice and gather practitioner’s views about what might be beneficial, feasible and acceptable.
We are keen to hear from health or social care practitioners working with young people in statutory and non-statutory services to complete our 15-minute questionnaire.
All responses eligible to be entered into a £50 prize draw!
The study is led by Dr Lucy Biddle and the University of Bristol and is joint funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) as part of their ‘Adolescence, Mental Health and the Developing Mind’ programme of research.
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