Cross-sectional associations between digital technology use (internet use, social connection during lockdown) and six mental health indicators were examined in 11,912 internet-using children aged 12–17 across 12 Global South countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam) using the UNICEF Innocenti Disrupting Harm survey during the COVID-19 pandemic.
No clear general association was found between social connection or internet use and mental health indicators during lockdown across countries; results varied substantially by country, gender, urbanicity, and other contextual factors.
- Cross-sectional design prevents causal inference. - Sample limited to internet-using children, excluding offline youth and likely underrepresenting the most vulnerable. - Tanzania was excluded from lockdown analyses due to no lockdowns occurring, reducing comparability.
Clinicians and policymakers should not assume internet use is uniformly harmful or protective for adolescent mental health in low- and middle-income countries — individual context (country, gender, urban/rural setting) matters greatly. Targeted, context-sensitive research and interventions are needed before drawing broad conclusions.
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