Editorial: Advancing digital mental health for youth

Young people (aged 12–25) face a particularly high-risk developmental period. Not only do 75% of mental illnesses emerge before the age of 25 (1, 2), but the rising prevalence today increases the demand for support (3, 4). The rapid expansion of digital technologies is reshaping prevention, assessment, and intervention in youth mental health, offering new opportunities for accessible and cost-effective care (5–7). Digital tools increasingly deliver psychological support in everyday contexts, as recent advances in online platforms, app-based interventions, wearable devices, remote monitoring technologies, and AI applications present opportunities to provide personalized and accessible mental health resources (8–10) while at the same time raising new questions concerning the responsible adoption and adaptation of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies for mental health and wellbeing (11).