During her statement as candidate for a second mandate at the European Parliament, Ursula von der Leyen expressed her deep concern about the current mental health crisis. In her speech, she particularly focused on the needs of children and teenagers, and the role of social media, addictive designs and excessive screen use as factors causing the rampant increase in cyberbullying and self-harm behaviors among young people. She promised to take action and tackle these “plagues” during the next mandate, conducting for the first time a European-wide inquiry on the impact of social media on the well-being of young people.
We praise this commitment and share the goal to prioritise and protect mental health in times of digital transformation. The consequences of living in a digital world on the well-being of the population are complex and diverse. Digital interactions can trigger devastating effects, but they can also lead to improved levels of psychological well-being. For example, on the one hand, social media platforms are increasingly being used to threaten and harass individuals online, a practice referred to as cyberbullying victimisation. On the other hand, the digital inclusion of older adults has proven to be an effective measure against unwanted loneliness. Moreover, mental health apps have rapidly proliferated, seeking to bridge the gap in access to mental health services, but their effectiveness and ethical use remain a subject of debate.
To foster the change that we are seeking, we lack high quality evidence on which to build effective interventions and comprehensive policies. The needs of the most vulnerable communities should be identified, quantified and qualitatively understood. The tools to measure such needs require creative and timely improvements to better capture the realities they target. Predisposing and mitigating factors should be integrally mapped and interconnected, and the actions taken must remain clearly uninfluenced by commercial interests.
In this edition of our newsletter, our four guest articles tackle these important challenges and offer valuable insights into how we can protect and promote mental health in times of digital transformation.