Open research questions in Impact of Technology on Adolescents
1,677 gap statements mined from Impact of Technology on Adolescents papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 8,724 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.
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What the literature leaves open
It also suggests that clinicians face the challenge of assessing patients' online activities and considering the quality of digital engagement. The paper notes the challenge of developing healthier digital architectures that do not exploit the adolescent brain's adaptive orientation towards future rewards.
The current understanding of digital addiction focuses on excessive gratification rather than perpetual incompletion. There is a lack of a unified framework for understanding the psychological burden of problematic digital engagement among adolescents. The paper identifies a need for a new perspective on digital addiction that takes into account the developmental neuroscience of adolescence.
The study suggests that future research should explore the underlying mechanisms and associated risk factors of PSMU and suicidal ideation. Further studies could investigate the role of other maladaptive CERS in the relationship between PSMU and suicidal ideation. Research could also examine the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing self-blame and PSMU in adolescents.
When social media hurts: a nine-month prospective study on self-blame as a mediator between problematic social media use and suicidal ideation in adolescents · 2026 · DOIThere is a lack of understanding of the potential role of specific emotion regulation in the link between problematic social media use and suicidality. Prior research has not fully investigated the mediating role of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies in this relationship.
When social media hurts: a nine-month prospective study on self-blame as a mediator between problematic social media use and suicidal ideation in adolescents · 2026 · DOIThe lack of studies evaluating the impact of psychosocial skills training programs in preventing Internet addiction among adolescents. The need for early preventive strategies, particularly during the early years of adolescence. The limited generalizability of prior studies due to convenience sampling and restricted geographical scope.
From overuse to self-control: impact of a psychosocial skills program in preventing internet addiction among Tunisian adolescents · 2026 · DOIThe factor structure of the PIUQ-18 remains debated across cultures, particularly among Chinese emerging adults. Prior work has reported alternative factor structures for the PIUQ, but none have identified a specific item assignment pattern for Chinese emerging adults. There is a need for a study that examines the psychometric properties of the PIUQ-18 and its short forms among Chinese emerging adults.
Psychometric evaluation of the problematic internet use questionnaire in Chinese emerging adults: an exploratory alternative three-factor structure and unidimensional short forms · 2026 · DOIThere is a need to explore individuals' discourse-related self-appraisals of their own SM use. Prior work has focused on time spent online, but the study aims to go beyond this.
Beyond time spent online: exploring functional motives, discourse-related self-appraisals, and social media addiction-like symptoms · 2026 · DOIThe study had to balance the need for a comprehensive investigation with the need for a manageable and feasible study design.
Problematic smartphone use is more strongly associated with academic procrastination than self-reported daily use duration · 2026 · DOIPrior work has focused on the associations between screen time and emotional functioning, but the empirical distinguishability of reward sensitivity and mood dysregulation remains unclear.
Screen time, reward sensitivity, and mood dysregulation among Egyptian adolescents: concurrent associations and a test of construct distinctiveness · 2026 · DOIThe study had a small sample size of 70 participants. The study only lasted for 3 weeks. The intervention may not have supplied the sustained cognitive scaffolding needed to alter participants' perceived problematic use within 2 weeks.
Promoting Self-Regulated Social Media Use on Smartphones With a Mobile Intervention App (Wellspent): Randomized Controlled Trial · 2025 · DOIFuture research could investigate the long-term effects of the Wellspent app on problematic social media use and smartphone use. Future research could explore the use of the Wellspent app with a larger and more diverse sample. Future research could examine the effects of the Wellspent app on other outcomes, such as mental health and productivity.
Promoting Self-Regulated Social Media Use on Smartphones With a Mobile Intervention App (Wellspent): Randomized Controlled Trial · 2025 · DOIThe study notes the challenge of calculating effect sizes due to limited information in some studies.
To Ban or Not to Ban? A Rapid Review on the Impact of Smartphone Bans in Schools on Social Well-Being and Academic Performance · 2024 · DOIThere is a need to understand educator and student perspectives on mobile phone use in schools. The study aims to address the gap in knowledge about the impacts of mobile phone use at school on child and youth achievement and well-being.
Smartphones at School: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Educators’ and Students’ Perspectives on Mobile Phone Use at School · 2024 · DOIThese findings are, however, limited to self-reported time spent on social media and further investigation into different types of social media activities are needed to better understand how social media use should be regulated.
Long-Term Consequences of Time Spent on Social Media in Adolescence on Mental Health in Young Adulthood: A Cohort Study From Sweden · 2026 · DOIHowever, its impacts on clinical performance among nursing interns and whether ASE has a mediating effect among these relationships remain underreported.
Academic Self‐Efficacy as a Mediator Between Risk for Social Media Addiction, Nomophobia, and Clinical Performance Among Nursing Internship Students: A Structural Equation Model · 2026 · DOIIt notes that social media addiction is not a formal clinical disorder, but it affects vital areas of an individual's life.
Social Media Addiction, Emotion Regulation, and Quality of Life in Emerging Adults: A Cross-Lagged Panel Model · 2026 · DOILongitudinal studies could be conducted to establish temporal ordering or causality. Studies could be done to distinguish between the effects of different types of screen time.
Screen time, reward sensitivity, and mood dysregulation among Egyptian adolescents: concurrent associations and a test of construct distinctiveness · 2026 · DOIFurther research should examine the effects of social media addiction on mental health in different populations, - Longitudinal studies with larger sample sizes and more diverse populations are needed, - Research should investigate the mechanisms by which social media addiction affects physical and psychological…
Social Media Addiction, Emotion Regulation, and Quality of Life in Emerging Adults: A Cross-Lagged Panel Model · 2026 · DOILongitudinal designs, - Larger and more diverse populations, - Exploration of mediating mechanisms to better understand and sustain the impact of such…
From overuse to self-control: impact of a psychosocial skills program in preventing internet addiction among Tunisian adolescents · 2026 · DOICross-validation of the EFA-derived three-factor model in independent Chinese samples - Examination of cultural or contextual factors in how PIU symptoms are experienced by Chinese emerging…
Psychometric evaluation of the problematic internet use questionnaire in Chinese emerging adults: an exploratory alternative three-factor structure and unidimensional short forms · 2026 · DOIThe study identifies the challenge of developing a survey that adequately captures the broad range of functional motives underlying contemporary SM use.
Beyond time spent online: exploring functional motives, discourse-related self-appraisals, and social media addiction-like symptoms · 2026 · DOIThe study was a retrospective analysis of anonymized data, - The study consisted of a clinical sample of adults with ADHD, - The sample size was limited to 214 patients with a valid Internet Addiction Test…
Impulsivity is the principal correlate of problematic internet use in young adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a cross-sectional clinical study · 2026 · DOIFurther studies are needed to examine the relationship between impulsivity and problematic internet use in adults with ADHD, - Longitudinal studies could investigate the development of problematic internet use in adults with ADHD, - Studies could examine the effectiveness of interventions targeting impulsivity in reducing problematic internet…
Impulsivity is the principal correlate of problematic internet use in young adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a cross-sectional clinical study · 2026 · DOIThe small effect on academic performance might be due to the limited number of studies and effects, - Only quantitative research findings were considered in this study, - Numerous studies with a qualitative design…
To Ban or Not to Ban? A Rapid Review on the Impact of Smartphone Bans in Schools on Social Well-Being and Academic Performance · 2024 · DOIUnderstanding the impacts of mobile phone use at school on child and youth achievement and well-being, - Developing educational policies around students’ mobile phone use at school, - Examining the effects of different rules and regulations on student phone…
Smartphones at School: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Educators’ and Students’ Perspectives on Mobile Phone Use at School · 2024 · DOI
Most-cited papers in Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Internet paradox: A social technology that reduces social involvement and psychological well-being? · American Psychologist · 1998 · 2,993 citations
- Motivational, emotional, and behavioral correlates of fear of missing out · Computers in Human Behavior · 2013 · 2,917 citations
- A cognitive-behavioral model of pathological Internet use · Computers in Human Behavior · 2001 · 2,283 citations
- A conceptual and methodological critique of internet addiction research: Towards a model of compensatory internet use · Computers in Human Behavior · 2013 · 2,020 citations
- Should We Trust Web-Based Studies? A Comparative Analysis of Six Preconceptions About Internet Questionnaires. · American Psychologist · 2004 · 1,994 citations
- The benefits of playing video games. · American Psychologist · 2013 · 1,802 citations
- The relationship between addictive use of social media and video games and symptoms of psychiatric disorders: A large-scale cross-sectional study. · Psychology of Addictive Behaviors · 2016 · 1,687 citations
- Developing a Measure of Loneliness · Journal of Personality Assessment · 1978 · 1,578 citations
- Internet Paradox Revisited · Journal of Social Issues · 2002 · 1,441 citations
- Development of a Facebook Addiction Scale · Psychological Reports · 2012 · 1,428 citations
Most recent work
- Academic stress and university students’ dependency on generative artificial intelligence: a multiple mediation model using PLS-SEM · BMC Psychology · 2026
- Assessing early effects of Australia’s Social Media Minimum Age Act on adolescents’ social media use: observational study · BMJ · 2026
- Social Media Use and Well-Being Across Adolescent Development · Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine · 2026
- Longitudinal associations between fear of missing out, problematic social media use, and problematic smartphone use · Addictive Behaviors · 2026
- Negative life events and problematic smartphone use among university students: the mediating role of self-efficacy and the moderating role of physical activity · Frontiers in Public Health · 2026
- Problematic social media use and adolescent mental well-being: a cross-national study on socioeconomic inequalities · Information Communication & Society · 2026
- Framing the digital self: development and validation of the social media AI filter scale · Online Information Review · 2026
- A Social Identity Theory of Digital Identity · Perspectives on Psychological Science · 2026
- A meta-analytic review of smartphone addiction prevalence in Chinese college students · Current Psychology · 2026
- Review: Social media use and adolescent mental health – an umbrella review and power analysis · Child and Adolescent Mental Health · 2026
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