Digital literacy and perceived mental health effects of technology: a cross-sectional analysis

Background

As digital technologies become increasingly embedded in everyday life, understanding how individual competencies shape their perceived mental health effects is a relevant public health question. Digital literacy has been proposed as one such factor, yet its dimensions are rarely examined together, and artificial intelligence (AI)-related competencies remain unexplored.

Methods

We analyzed cross-sectional data from 28,063 participants in the 2023 Digital Wellbeing Survey, conducted across 35 countries among adults aged 18 and older. Perceived mental health effects of digital technology (worsens, no effect, improves) were modelled using weighted multinomial logistic regression, with exposures including confidence in explaining AI, information-checking strategies, and cyber safety strategies, adjusted for attitudinal factors, perceived control, and sociodemographic characteristics.

Results

Higher confidence in explaining AI was associated with higher odds of perceiving positive mental health effects (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.38-1.49) and lower odds of perceiving negative effects (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.87-0.95), though the latter attenuated after adjustment. Information-checking strategies were associated with higher odds of perceiving both positive and negative effects. Cyber safety strategies were associated with lower odds of perceiving either. Worse perceived control was associated with markedly higher odds of perceiving harm (OR 3.81, 95% CI 3.28-4.42), while better control was selectively associated with perceiving benefit (OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.98-2.25).

Conclusions

Confidence in explaining AI, information-checking, and cyber safety strategies showed distinct and not uniformly protective associations with perceived mental health effects of technology. Attitudinal factors, particularly attitudes toward AI, and perceived control appear to contribute alongside technical competencies to how individuals experience digital technology in relation to their mental health.

Key messages

• Different dimensions of digital literacy, including AI confidence, show distinct and not uniformly protective associations with perceived mental health effects of digital technology.

• Perceived control over technology use shows some of the strongest associations, suggesting that sense of agency may matter as much as technical competencies.