Open research questions in Impact of Technology on Adolescents

What the literature leaves open

• Further studies could investigate the effects of different dimensions of social support on social media on LTPA intention in different populations. Research could explore the mechanisms by which social support on social media influences LTPA intention. Studies could examine the impact of social media-based interventions on LTPA participation.

  Different Dimensions of Social Support on Social Media and Leisure-Time Physical Activity Intentions Among Chinese College Students Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior: A Cross-Sectional Study · 2026 · DOI

• The low prevalence of PA participation among Chinese university students. The need to understand how different dimensions of social support on social media influence exercise intentions.

  Different Dimensions of Social Support on Social Media and Leisure-Time Physical Activity Intentions Among Chinese College Students Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior: A Cross-Sectional Study · 2026 · DOI

• Cross-cultural comparisons of problematic TikTok use. Examining the potential for behavioral addictions linked to platform-specific design features.

  The TikTok Addiction Scale: adaptation and validation in Peruvian University Students · 2026 · DOI

• There is a lack of validated measures specifically designed to assess TikTok addiction in Latin America, especially in Peru. The literature on problematic social media use is extensive, but empirical work focused specifically on TikTok addiction remains comparatively limited.

  The TikTok Addiction Scale: adaptation and validation in Peruvian University Students · 2026 · DOI

• Further studies could explore the causal relationships between AI dependency and psychological outcomes, - Research could investigate the effects of AI dependency on different populations, - Studies could examine the impact of AI dependency on various aspects of life, such as work and social relationships

  AI dependency and its relationships with anxiety, quality of life, and digital stress · 2026 · DOI

• Little is known about the psychological mechanisms underlying students' reliance on AI. Prior studies have considered AI dependency as a neutral technical behavior or merely a supportive educational tool. The study aims to position AI reliance as a relatively stable psychological state with multiple manifestations across networks of anxiety, digital stress, and quality of life.

  AI dependency and its relationships with anxiety, quality of life, and digital stress · 2026 · DOI

• Pre-service teachers may lack motivation to use social media for professional purposes due to unconvinced value or potential associated risks. Non-users may experience constraints in one or more areas of the WST framework, including Will, Skill, or Tool. The study identifies challenges in understanding the complex reasons for non-use, including maintaining boundaries between private and professional life and perceiving no added professional value.

  Why pre-service teachers do not use social media for professional purposes: A mixed-methods study using the will-skill-tool framework · 2026 · DOI

• The limited number of male participants means that observations about gender should be viewed as tentative rather than conclusive. The study only examined pre-service teachers and did not consider practicing teachers. The study used a cross-sectional design and did not examine changes over time.

  Why pre-service teachers do not use social media for professional purposes: A mixed-methods study using the will-skill-tool framework · 2026 · DOI

• The study did not contain specific questions about regret or guilt experienced in digital free time, - The sample size was limited to 150 participants across six European countries

  Why we feel regret and guilt about using digital technology in our free time – A European perspective · 2026 · DOI

• The study identifies a gap in understanding the drivers of guilt and regret following digital free time across Europe. There is a need to explore the negative health consequences of chronic regret and guilt in the context of digital free time.

  Why we feel regret and guilt about using digital technology in our free time – A European perspective · 2026 · DOI

• The study identifies a gap in the literature regarding the relationship between social media addiction, emotional eating, and quality of life among young adults. Prior research has focused on the individual effects of social media addiction and emotional eating on quality of life, but the study aims to investigate the relationship between these variables.

  From Scroll to Soul: Spirituality as a Moderator Between Social Media Addiction, Emotional Eating, and Quality of Life Among Young Adults in Poland · 2026 · DOI

• Investigate the neurodevelopmental characteristics of adolescence, - Examine the relationship between IA and depression in different age groups, - Explore the impact of family environment on IA and depression

  Cross-Lagged Panel Network Analysis Between Internet Addiction and Depression: Gender and Mid-Late Adolescent Differences · 2026 · DOI

• The study aims to address the gap in understanding the relationship between internet addiction and depression in adolescents. Prior work has identified the comorbidity of internet addiction and depression, but the study aims to explore the temporal and directional relationships between these variables.

  Cross-Lagged Panel Network Analysis Between Internet Addiction and Depression: Gender and Mid-Late Adolescent Differences · 2026 · DOI

• the complexity of disentangling the pathways linking self-control, perceived parental psychological control, and PMPU - the need for longitudinal datasets to validate causal mechanisms - the challenge of measuring self-control, perceived parental psychological control, and PMPU among primary school students

  Self-Control and Perceived Parental Psychological Control? Their Links with Depression and Problematic Mobile Phone Use in Primary School Students · 2026 · DOI

• Future studies should employ longitudinal datasets to disentangle the pathways linking these constructs. Future studies should investigate the causal mechanisms suggested by the I-PACE theory. Future studies should examine the relationships among self-control, perceived parental psychological control, and PMPU in different populations.

  Self-Control and Perceived Parental Psychological Control? Their Links with Depression and Problematic Mobile Phone Use in Primary School Students · 2026 · DOI

• There is a lack of understanding of the relationship between rejecting parenting and smartphone addiction in early adolescents. The study identifies a gap in the literature regarding the mediating effect of entertainment-oriented smartphone use on this relationship.

  The Mediating Effect of Entertainment-Oriented Smartphone Use on The Relationship Between Rejecting Parenting and Smartphone Addiction Using Latent Growth Modeling · 2026 · DOI

• The paper identifies the challenge of measuring dependency in a polymedia environment where audiences routinely shift among platforms. The review highlights the complexity of capturing the unique features of digital media, such as algorithmic curation and recommender systems. The paper notes the need to address the normative stakes of algorithmic curation and its democratic role in shaping media dependency.

  Toward an integrated framework of media dependency: a theoretical review of uses–dependency and new media dependency models · 2026 · DOI

• The existing models do not address the unique features of digital media, such as interactivity, algorithmic curation, and polymedia repertoires. The paper identifies a gap in the literature regarding the adaptation of media dependency theory to digital media. The review highlights the need for a conceptual synthesis and theory development that accounts for the complexities of digital media.

  Toward an integrated framework of media dependency: a theoretical review of uses–dependency and new media dependency models · 2026 · DOI

• Insufficient physical activity remains a prominent issue among college students. Sedentary behavior and digital dependence are significant health risks. The study faced challenges in recruiting a representative sample of college students and ensuring the validity of the measures used.

  Digital health literacy and sports participation among college students: the role of cognitive flexibility and physical activity self-efficacy · 2026 · DOI

• Evidence integrating all four constructs of digital health literacy, cognitive flexibility, physical activity self-efficacy, and sports participation remains limited. Prior research has examined pairwise associations, but the relationships between these constructs are not fully understood.

  Digital health literacy and sports participation among college students: the role of cognitive flexibility and physical activity self-efficacy · 2026 · DOI

• The application of NDM to IGD has yet to be evaluated. There is a lack of understanding of how neuropathological alterations propagate via brain networks in IGD. The study aims to address this gap by applying NDM to IGD.

  Network diffusion modeling predicts spatiotemporal gray matter alterations in internet gaming disorder · 2026 · DOI

• The underlying neural mechanisms of social dysfunction in gaming disorder remain unclear. There is a lack of understanding of the neural basis of social-emotional functioning in gaming disorder. The study seeks to address this gap by examining neural differences in the prefrontal cortex and temporoparietal junction.

  Disrupted brain functional networks in adolescents and young adults with gaming disorder during social interaction: An fNIRS study · 2026 · DOI

• There is a lack of nationally representative evidence that distinguishes between digital media platforms. Prior work has not adequately addressed the relationship between digital media use and psychological distress in upper-middle-income, Muslim-majority, non-Arab settings.

  Platform-specific digital media use and psychological distress among Turkish adults: evidence from a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey · 2026 · DOI

• 21 is a weighting (Kish) design effect that captures only variance inflation from unequal post-stratification weights; it does not account for the clustering design effect from the 134 address-block clusters. 1941229 sizes, though the meta-analysis could not determine the direction of the discrepancy. The loneliness pathway relied on the single-item welalone indicator within the CES-D- informed battery; a multi-item instrument, such as Hughes and colleagues’ three-item scale (23), would offer richer coverage and a better-powered mediation test, so the negative bootstrap result should be interpreted as limited by the single-item measure.

  Platform-specific digital media use and psychological distress among Turkish adults: evidence from a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of understanding of the relationship between internet addiction, social anxiety, self-control, and academic stress. The need for a sequential mediation model to investigate this relationship.

  Associations between internet addiction and academic stress among college students: a sequential mediation model involving social anxiety and self-control · 2026 · 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
• 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
• 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
• Review: Social media use and adolescent mental health – an umbrella review and power analysis · Child and Adolescent Mental Health · 2026
• Why is problematic social media use more prevalent among Chinese adolescents with probable depression than their non-depressed peers? A longitudinal examination of the mediating roles of peer acceptance and loneliness · Addictive Behaviors · 2026
• Untold stories of digital transformation in medical education: AI overdependence and nomophobia among medical students · BMC Medical Education · 2026
• Short video addiction and its impact on cognitive functioning in adolescents and youth: a systematic review · International Journal of Adolescence and Youth · 2026

Related topics in Social Sciences