The impact of digital determinants on young people’s nutrition: a narrative review
André Thiombiano, Louise Holly, Kanika AgarwalAbstract
Objectives
This narrative review examines how digital determinants, environments, technologies, and service-delivery mechanisms influence the nutrition of young people aged 10-24 years, identifying priority areas for policy and research.
Background
Nutrition is vital for the growth and long-term health of young individuals. The increasing presence of digital technologies has created new opportunities for accessing nutrition information and services but also poses risks due to misinformation, commercial influences, and unequal access. Evidence on the impact of these digital factors on young people’s nutrition is still fragmented.
Methods
A structured narrative review was conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, covering publications from 2000 to August 2026, with searches focusing on young people aged 10-24 years. Guided by the Digital Determinants of Health framework, the analysis was structured around 5 domains: digital accessibility, telenutrition, artificial intelligence (AI), social media, and digital literacy. Evidence was thematically synthesized according to various digital mechanisms and associated outcomes.
Results
Findings indicate that digital access can enhance opportunities for obtaining nutrition information and services, but unequal access may exacerbate disparities. Telenutrition offers promising improvements in nutrition care access, although specific evidence for young people is limited. AI applications show potential for dietary assessment and personalization, yet their effectiveness and cultural applicability need further evaluation. Social media serves as both a source of nutrition information and a platform where marketing, misinformation, and social comparison can influence dietary behaviors. Digital literacy may aid in critically assessing online nutrition information, but direct evidence linking literacy interventions to dietary outcomes remains limited.
Conclusion
Digital transformations offer significant, yet unevenly distributed, opportunities to improve young people’s nutritional health. Priorities should include bridging the digital divide, regulating online content, strengthening telenutrition frameworks, validating AI tools, and integrating digital literacy into education systems for equitable and effective nutrition promotion.