Innovative interventions to prevent the harmful effects of using digital technologies on the mental health of children and young adults

Expected Outcome:This topic aims at supporting activities that are enabling or contributing to one or several expected impacts of destination “Tackling diseases and reducing disease burden”. To that end, proposals under this topic should aim to deliver results that are directed at, tailored towards and contributing to all the following expected outcomes:Researchers and healthcare professionals have an improved understanding of the neuro-biological and cognitive/behavioural evidence base on the correlation and impact of digital technologies on mental health, including brain development.Policymakers and digital technology and content developers are provided with a robust evidence base on the impact (positive or negative) of digital technologies on mental health in children and young adults[1].Policymakers, digital technology developers, and educational institutions amongst others make use (e.g. developing guidelines) of the evidence base and widely implement the newly developed interventions aimed at promoting children and young adults’ mental health while mitigating any negative impacts of digital technology use.Children, young adults, families, guardians, educators, and carers have access to the newly developed interventions designed to prevent harm and promote the positive use of digital technologies.Children and young adults are empowered and develop resilience, including digital literacy, enabling them to engage in a healthy and positive way with digital technologies. Scope:Already before the COVID-19 pandemic, 1 in 6 people in the EU suffered from mental health issues. The economic costs of it are estimated at 4% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)[2] and since then these figures worsened[3] in particular among vulnerable groups such as children and adolescents or those at risk of discrimination. Digital technologies have the potential to enhance mental health for instance by providing access to information, support networks and therapy services[4]. However, the