Exploring the digital landscape: Mental health tools for young people (16–25)

Introduction

Comprehensive strategies are needed on a global scale to address the mental health challenges that young people are facing. Digital interventions offer a promising, scalable solution across various platforms, including text, video, and audio-based technologies. They can be used for early mental health prevention, mental well-being promotion, and those with complex mental health needs.

Methods

A scoping review was conducted to explore research on the range of digital mental health interventions and supports for young people aged 16 - 25 years, focusing on the types of digital tools, modalities, delivery format, target population, and retention rates. A search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Medline, Cochrane Library and PsychInfo to identify studies published from 2019-2024 in this topic area. Eligible studies, published in English, examined digital interventions for mental health promotion, prevention, or treatment and included validated primary or secondary mental health outcome measures.

Results

A total of 145 studies were included in the final review. Most studies were conducted in high income countries, over half were randomised controlled trials but few included any long-term follow-up. The average study length was 6-weeks, and for studies that included a follow up (43%), the average follow-up time was 19-weeks. Half (52%) of the interventions were fully digital, while 48% included human support alongside the digital intervention. Most studies (97%) relied on convenience sampling recruiting participants from universities, colleges and social media. Females were largely overrepresented in study populations (71% on average). The main participant groups were individuals from the general population who were not specifically recruited based on mental health symptoms (43%), individuals experiencing some degree of mental ill health symptoms (26%), and individuals with a diagnosed mental health condition or those meeting diagnostic criteria (18%). There was a lack of representation from marginalised populations, only 37% studies included LGBTQ+ representation, and fewer than 10% of studies included other groups, for example those who were unemployed, living rurally, socioeconomically disadvantaged, neurodivergent or homeless. General mental well-being was the most common intervention target along with anxiety, depression and stress, and few interventions targeted other severe or complex mental health conditions (7%). Apps (38%), web-based resources (33%) and websites (14%) were the dominant modalities, with minimal use of chatbots (4%), virtual reality (2%), or other intervention types. The most common intervention features were psychoeducation, mindfulness, and mood tracking. Studies used a wide variety of mental health scales, making it difficult to compare results. Retention rates ranged from 16-100% (mean 66%) across all studies.

Conclusions

The scoping review sheds light on the need for greater inclusivity in research and for strategies beyond convenience sampling. The review also highlights a lack of representation from marginalised groups and emphasises the importance of longer-term follow-up data to assess the efficacy and effectiveness of these interventions. A more inclusive and comprehensive approach to digital mental health interventions for young people is needed in the future.