Technology is now deeply woven into everyday life. We use digital platforms to work, learn, communicate, maintain relationships, access information and entertain ourselves. For many people, checking a phone is one of the first activities of the morning and one of the last before going to sleep.
This raises an important question: how does our relationship with technology affect our mental health and wellbeing?
The answer is more complex than simply deciding whether technology is “good” or “bad”. Digital environments can help people learn, connect with others, access information and find support. They can also expose people to cyberbullying, unhealthy social comparison, harmful content, disrupted sleep and other experiences that may affect wellbeing.
These themes were explored during the Regenesys School of Psychology masterclass on Mental Health in a Digital World. The discussion examined how technology, social media, screen use, cyberbullying, artificial intelligence and digital mental-health tools can shape behaviour and wellbeing, particularly among young people.
Watch the full masterclass:
This RegInsights article explains digital wellbeing and how technology, social media and screen use can influence mental health and everyday functioning. It explores the effects of social media on mental health, healthy screen time, cyberbullying in South Africa, digital resilience and digital literacy, while examining how online experiences can affect sleep, relationships, concentration and behaviour. It also discusses how parents can support healthier digital habits, the growing role of teletherapy and AI in mental health support, and why evidence, privacy, ethics and human oversight remain important when using digital mental health tools. The article draws on insights from the Regenesys School of Psychology masterclass, Mental Health in a Digital World, to explain how individuals and families can develop a healthier, safer and more intentional relationship with technology.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What Is Digital Wellbeing?
Digital wellbeing is about the relationship people have with technology and how that relationship interacts with everyday life.
A healthy relationship with technology does not necessarily mean avoiding smartphones, social media, gaming or other digital platforms. Instead, it involves using technology in ways that support rather than consistently displace activities that are important to wellbeing.
This distinction matters because two people can spend exactly the same amount of time online and have very different experiences.
One person might spend several hours communicating with friends, learning something new or participating in a supportive online community. Another might spend the same amount of time comparing themselves negatively with others, experiencing cyberbullying or scrolling late into the night.
The number of hours alone does not explain the psychological impact.
How Can Technology Affect Mental Health?
The relationship between technology and mental health can be both positive and negative.
Technology can create opportunities for learning, communication and social connection. Digital platforms can also make information and certain forms of support available to people who may otherwise struggle to access them.
However, digital experiences can also introduce risks.
- Cyberbullying and online harassment
- Unhealthy social comparison
- Exposure to unrealistic body ideals or harmful information
- Sleep disruption
- Reduced concentration
- Less physical activity
- Reduced face-to-face interaction
- Digital activities interfering with school, work or relationships
The important question is therefore not simply how much technology we use, but how we use it and how it affects us.
Is Screen Time Bad for Mental Health?
Discussions about screen time and mental health often focus on one question: how many hours are too many?
The masterclass encourages a more useful approach.
What are you doing online?
Using technology to learn, create something or communicate with supportive friends is different from spending the same period compulsively scrolling through content that leaves you distressed.
Why are you online?
There may be a difference between deliberately going online for a particular purpose and repeatedly using digital platforms to escape difficult emotions.
What is it doing to your daily life?
If digital engagement is consistently interfering with sleep, concentration, physical activity, relationships, school or work, it may be worth reconsidering the way technology is being used.
These questions provide a more meaningful picture of wellbeing than simply counting hours.
What Does Healthy Screen Time Look Like?
There is no single digital experience that applies equally to everyone.
Age, developmental stage, personal circumstances, vulnerability and the purpose of technology use can all matter.
For example, a child video-calling a parent and a teenager compulsively scrolling through social media are both technically experiencing “screen time”, but the nature and potential effects of those experiences are very different.
A more useful approach to healthy screen time is therefore to consider balance.
Technology should ideally leave room for adequate sleep, physical movement, learning, responsibilities, offline interests and meaningful human relationships.
Social Media and Mental Health
Social media can connect people who might otherwise never meet.
It can help users maintain friendships, discover communities, share experiences and access information. For some people, online communities may provide an important sense of belonging.
But the effects of social media on mental health can vary significantly between individuals.
The same platform that makes one person feel connected may leave another person feeling inadequate because of constant comparison.
This becomes especially important for young people because adolescence is a period in which identity, emotions and social awareness continue to develop. Peer relationships and a sense of belonging can become particularly important during this period.
Rather than assuming that social media is automatically harmful, it can be more useful to ask how someone feels during and after using it.
Cyberbullying and Mental Health
One of the more serious risks associated with digital environments is cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying can include threatening messages, spreading rumours, sharing private material, deliberate exclusion, harassment, humiliation or impersonation.
Unlike some forms of offline bullying, harmful online content can travel quickly and remain accessible after it was originally posted.
The masterclass identifies three characteristics that can make cyberbullying particularly difficult:
- Anonymity: people may conceal their identity online.
- Persistence: harassment and harmful content can continue beyond a particular physical environment.
- Permanence: once something is shared digitally, completely regaining control over it can be difficult.
Cyberbullying in South Africa
Cyberbullying in South Africa is especially important to consider because young people increasingly move between online and offline environments without a clear boundary between the two.
Responding to cyberbullying cannot rest solely with young people.
The masterclass emphasises cooperation between learners, parents, educators, schools and, where necessary, law-enforcement structures.
It also highlights an important barrier: young people may hesitate to disclose harmful online experiences if they believe adults will blame them or immediately remove access to their devices.
Creating an environment where young people feel able to speak openly about what happens online can therefore be an important part of digital safety.
What Is Digital Resilience?
Avoiding every negative online experience is unrealistic.
This is where digital resilience becomes important.
Digital resilience is about developing the awareness and skills needed to navigate difficult online experiences, respond appropriately, seek support and recover from them.
It is different from simply restricting access to technology.
Young people will continue growing up in environments shaped by smartphones, social media, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. Adults will continue working and communicating through many of the same environments.
The goal therefore becomes helping people navigate digital spaces safely, critically and confidently.
Digital Literacy Can Support Digital Wellbeing
Digital resilience works closely with digital literacy.
Digital literacy involves more than knowing how to operate a device.
In the context of mental health and online safety, it can include developing the ability to recognise:
- Misinformation
- Online scams
- Manipulative content
- Potentially harmful online behaviour
- Situations where support may be necessary
The masterclass distinguishes digital literacy from digital resilience: literacy helps people recognise and understand digital risks, while resilience concerns how they respond when something difficult happens online.
Both can contribute to healthier digital habits.
How Can Parents Support Digital Wellbeing?
Simply telling a young person to “get off your phone” may not address the reason behind their behaviour.
Open conversations can provide more insight.
Parents and caregivers might ask:
- How do you feel after spending time online?
- Is being online affecting your sleep?
- Can you comfortably put your phone down?
- What do you do if someone treats you badly online?
- Do you know who you can speak to when something online makes you uncomfortable?
These questions shift the conversation from punishment towards awareness, communication and resilience.
Adults can also consider the digital habits they model themselves.
What Are the Warning Signs of Unhealthy Digital Habits?
Changes in everyday functioning may provide useful signals that someone’s relationship with technology deserves attention.
Possible warning signs discussed in the masterclass include:
- Persistent sleep disruption
- Withdrawing from relationships
- Difficulty concentrating
- Neglecting schoolwork
- Neglecting self-care
- Digital activity displacing activities that ordinarily support wellbeing
A single late night or long online session does not by itself establish a mental-health problem. The broader pattern and its impact on everyday functioning matter.
Digital Mental Health, Online Support and Teletherapy
Technology does not only create challenges for mental health. It may also expand ways of accessing support.
The masterclass discusses teletherapy, psychoeducational apps and emerging applications of virtual reality.
Digital options may help overcome barriers such as geographic distance or concerns about stigma.
However, availability does not guarantee quality.
Thousands of wellness and mental-health applications are available online, but appearing in an app store does not mean a tool has necessarily been scientifically evaluated or is suitable for every person.
Evidence, privacy, safety and appropriate professional involvement remain important considerations.
AI and Mental Health
Artificial intelligence adds another dimension to digital wellbeing.
AI systems can increasingly personalise information and respond conversationally to users. But personalisation should not automatically be interpreted as accuracy, appropriateness or safety.
The masterclass highlights questions involving privacy, data security, bias and the quality of information being provided.
It also emphasises that AI should not replace professional judgement or genuine human connection when those are required.
Four Pillars for Healthier Digital Wellbeing
One of the clearest frameworks from the masterclass brings the discussion together through four interconnected areas.
1. Digital Literacy
People need the knowledge and critical-thinking skills required to navigate digital environments and evaluate what they encounter online.
2. Healthy Online Habits
Technology should not consistently displace important areas of everyday life, including sleep, movement, learning and relationships.
3. Evidence-Based Digital Tools
Mental-health apps and digital interventions should be considered critically rather than assumed to be effective simply because they are available or technologically impressive.
4. Human Safeguards
Ethics, accountability, appropriate professional oversight and human support remain important as technology becomes increasingly integrated into everyday life.
The masterclass stresses that these elements work best together rather than independently.
Understanding Human Behaviour in an Increasingly Digital World
Technology may continue changing, but the underlying questions about human behaviour remain important.
Why do people behave differently online? Why does social comparison affect some individuals more than others? How do identity, relationships and social environments influence behaviour? And how can individuals and communities respond to rapidly changing digital environments?
These questions demonstrate why psychology remains relevant as technology becomes more deeply embedded in everyday life.
The Regenesys School of Psychology explores themes related to human behaviour, relationships, coping, wellbeing and the ways people experience personal, social and cultural environments.
Readers interested in exploring these themes further can learn more about the Regenesys School of Psychology.
Building a Healthier Relationship With Technology
Digital wellbeing is not about rejecting technology.
Technology provides valuable opportunities for communication, learning, connection and access to information. The challenge is to use it intentionally while recognising when digital behaviour begins to undermine other aspects of wellbeing.
That means moving beyond the question:
“How much screen time is too much?”
and asking better questions:
- What am I doing online?
- Why am I doing it?
- How does it make me feel?
- What is it replacing?
- Can I comfortably disconnect when I need to?
The goal is not simply less screen time.
It is a healthier relationship with the digital world.
Frequently Asked Questions About Digital Wellbeing
What is digital wellbeing?
Digital wellbeing describes a healthy and intentional relationship with digital technology in which online activities are balanced with other areas of life, such as sleep, relationships, learning, work and physical activity.
How does technology affect mental health?
Technology can support communication, learning, social connection and access to information, but some digital experiences may also involve cyberbullying, harmful content, social comparison, disrupted sleep and reduced face-to-face interaction. The effects can vary depending on the person, context and type of technology use.
Is too much screen time bad for mental health?
Time alone does not explain the full impact of digital activity. What someone is doing online, why they are doing it and whether it is interfering with everyday functioning provide important additional context.
What is healthy screen time?
Healthy screen time involves considering the quality and purpose of digital activity as well as whether technology leaves sufficient room for sleep, movement, relationships, learning and other important activities.
What is digital resilience?
Digital resilience is the ability to navigate difficult digital experiences, respond appropriately, seek support when necessary and recover from negative online experiences.
How can social media affect young people’s mental health?
Social media may provide connection, community and support, but it can also expose young people to social comparison, cyberbullying, harmful content and other pressures. Individual experiences can differ considerably.
What are the effects of cyberbullying on mental health?
Cyberbullying may be associated with experiences such as anxiety, withdrawal, disrupted sleep, difficulty concentrating, declining academic performance and, in severe cases, serious psychological distress.
How can parents encourage healthy digital habits?
Parents can model balanced technology use, establish appropriate boundaries and have open conversations about how online experiences make young people feel rather than focusing exclusively on limiting hours.
Can technology support mental health?
Digital technologies can provide information and expand access to some forms of support. However, digital mental-health tools should be considered in terms of evidence, privacy, safety and suitability rather than assumed to be effective simply because they are available.
Can AI replace professional mental-health support?
AI can provide information and other forms of digital assistance, but it should not be treated as a substitute for professional judgement or human support when those are needed.
