By Dr. R. Esi Asante
If technology has become integral to all aspects of your life and is affecting your personal health, take notice. Reflect on how your interaction with these digital devices lately might be impacting your overall wellbeing and health.
Are you committed to digital well-being and mental health? Answering these questions highlights the importance of prioritizing digital well-being. Digital technology can be seen as a double-edged sword, capable of bringing about positive and negative outcomes. Its use to improve personal and collective quality of life is referred to as digital wellness.
Consider the various ways you’ve integrated digital technology into your everyday life—whether browsing social media, working, or studying with your smartphone; staring at screens during office hours; or enjoying leisure through smartwatches and other electronic gadgets. Given this reliance, being mindful of digital well-being and health has become essential.
Even with numerous benefits, an overreliance on digital technology may result in prolonged and severe health problems. Physical repercussions of extended screen exposure include digital eye strain, recurrent headaches, tiredness, discomfort in the wrists, back, neck, and shoulders, along with diminished sleep quality.
Cognitively, the hazards associated with persistent connection—such as increased chances of depression, poor self-worth, and heightened anxiety—are encountered. Additionally, this may lead to feelings of disconnection and loneliness. On an emotional level, excessive use of technology often distracts individuals from engaging in activities that hold personal significance and contribute to their actual life experiences. Consequently, such effects usually result in a decline in one’s general quality of life (benebynina.com, 2025).
The article focuses on digital well-being and aims to raise awareness regarding both the positive aspects and potential drawbacks of our engagement with technology, emphasizing the importance of maintaining balance for overall health.
Digital Wellbeing
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Digital well-being pertains to how technology and digital services impact an individual’s overall health, including their physical, mental, and emotional states.
Digital wellness refers to an individual’s overall sense of health and well-being achieved through the utilization of technological tools, systems, devices, and resources within organizational settings. It involves using technology to support both the physical and psychological health of employees.
Progress in technology along with the advent of the internet have led to numerous innovations in workflows, education, and entertainment. Research indicates that digitization has increasingly influenced the quality of work within organizations, enhancing the automation of various systems and processes (Eurofound, 2018).
Overall, the general agreement is that these digital gadgets should be created with features that encourage responsible usage and actively help users maintain healthier life habits.
Abusing social media and other technological tools can harm individuals; hence, digital well-being isn’t merely about reducing device usage. It’s also about recognizing the possibly detrimental connection we might have with these technologies and understanding how they impact various facets of our lives.
Digital well-being plays a crucial role as it allows people to become more involved and efficient, thereby promoting healthier lifestyles, reducing fatigue and distraction (Rosencrance and Fitzgibbons 2022).
The Pros and Cons of Digital Technologies:
Because of numerous limitations imposed by the COVID pandemic, society was compelled to embrace digital technologies, which have since integrated into our everyday routines.
Working remotely and online learning have become standard practices, growing more reliant on digital tools.
Neglecting digital well-being can result in adverse impacts due to excessive use of technological devices. Here are several significant issues related to digital technology that influence overall health:
Dooms Scrolling:
Doomscrolling poses a threat to one’s digital well-being. This behavior involves an unhealthy fixation on consuming distressing information from social platforms.
People who are impacted can’t seem to stop seeking out the most recent negative information, causing them to become easily irritated and less productive. This situation harms their mental well-being, resulting in sensations of hopelessness and cognitive exhaustion.
It leads to heightened arousal, increased anxiety, and higher levels of depression, while also diminishing overall psychological well-being and reducing life satisfaction. Individuals in this state tend to adopt a pessimistic viewpoint and struggle to maintain an optimistic attitude (UNC Health Caldwell, 2023).
Anxiety from Being Left Out (ALI)
The worry about potentially not being part of enjoyable moments or chances can impact one’s digital health. Avoiding electronic devices often triggers the fear of missing out (FOMO), a sensation that is intensified by extensive social media consumption.
For certain individuals, this issue arises due to the ubiquity of digital technology. The persistent urge to remain interconnected and updated can result in lowered self-worth, heightened stress and anxiety levels, as well as disruptions in sleeping patterns (Alutayabi et al., 2020).
This association encompasses various adverse life events and emotions like insufficient rest, diminished functional abilities, heightened stress levels, detrimental impacts on one’s health, feelings of worry, and difficulties managing emotions.
A prominent instance of FOMO is a mental health condition called Nomophobia (the fear of losing mobile phone connection) (Bhattacharya et al., 2023).
A significant number of Generation Z members and Millennials have formed deep connections and established virtual existences within the Metaverse because these experiences elude them in reality. They employ emojis as digital stand-ins to express their feelings over the internet.
Other people share motivational quotes to express their emotions. Consequently, they get anxious when they think they might lose connection with the external world. They can’t function without their devices and are always connected as individuals who have grown up with technology.
Seeking Validation
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Looking for approval, especially via online channels, may harm one’s digital well-being. It is natural for humans to desire acknowledgment as a means of confirming their worth and identity. If this quest turns into an ongoing pattern, it could have detrimental effects on psychological health.
People who depend significantly on external validation such as likes, comments, and shares might face variations in their self-worth, anxiety levels, and depressive states when this affirmation isn’t forthcoming. Continuously comparing themselves with others on social media can result in sensations of inadequacy and create pressures related to sustaining a particular online identity.
We must be aware that both external and online validations have their shadowy aspects. These platforms often breed unrealistic expectations (Kumar, 2024).
People frequently showcase an impeccable image of themselves and their lives via meticulously curated postings and filters—some misleadingly so—with the intent to make others feel inadequate by comparison.
Frequently being exposed to seemingly flawless lifestyles, which I refer to as artificial, may result in sensations of inferiority, diminished self-worth, and in certain instances, depression.
Romero (2025) notes that when engaging with the intricate landscape of social media, it is crucial to be aware of the psychological effects brought about by likes and similar types of online affirmation.
Nurturing positive connections via social media involves valuing genuine self-expression and significant engagements rather than chasing after likes.
Cyber Bullying
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Cyberbullying involves utilizing digital tools such as social media, messaging apps, gaming sites, and cellphones to harass individuals online (Kaspersky.com, 2024). The intention behind this behavior is often to frighten, enrage, or humiliate the victims.
Frequent exposure to harmful remarks and cyberbullying can lead to considerable emotional suffering, particularly among susceptible groups like children and adolescents (Cowie, 2023; Nixon, 2014).
Ongoing harassment may result in diminished self-worth, withdrawal from social interactions, and potentially thoughts of suicide. Cyberspace bullying is an extremely critical matter that impacts not only the targets, but also their relatives, the perpetrators, and individuals observing such incidents.
Individuals who have been victimized might encounter various emotional challenges that can impact their social interactions and academic achievements, along with their general psychological wellbeing. These issues could manifest as recurring stomachaches, migraines, and trouble sleeping (Høgsdal, et al., 2025).
Digital devices and gadgets
Digital technology also has the potential to enhance human wellbeing. Various wearable gadgets like activity trackers and gaming controllers, along with smartphone apps, assist in gathering essential health information during this phase of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
These devices and programs gather information about personal pulse rates, heartbeats, oxygen levels, and calorie measurements, along with additional detailed health data.
They assess intraocular pressure, fetal heart rate, and gait analysis among other things. These developments have led to alterations in how individuals approach healthcare seeking. Many people now turn to digital platforms for basic medical care and initial assistance.
When they detect symptoms, they are now more prone to consult Google instead of seeking medical help.
It is crucial to emphasize that patients should obtain health information from trustworthy sources, like their primary caregivers, because of the growing presence of inaccurate and deceptive content online.
The COVID-19 pandemic has bolstered virtual hospitals as patients now have the ability to schedule appointments with healthcare providers globally for discussing their medical conditions, obtaining second opinions from test results, and receiving therapeutic advice through a digital healthcare infrastructure.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, rather than just the lack of illness and disability.” To address these aspects, they have formulated a strategy focused on fast-paced digital transformation and widespread access to the internet, reliance on digital devices and electronics, ethical challenges posed by the digital realm and digitization processes, usage patterns of social media platforms, engagement with virtual environments like the Metaverse (including Second Life), and the emergence of telemedicine facilities such as virtual hospitals.
Hence, individuals can gain advantages from the WHO’s Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020-2025, emphasizing that digital health initiatives should be guided by an all-encompassing strategy integrating financial, organizational, human, and technological resources to realize their complete potential, applicable either nationally or regionally.
Preserving a Sense of Digital Wellness
Experts have cautioned about the importance of emphasizing responsible tech consumption to uphold a well-balanced state of physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.
Digital detox interventions have been suggested (Thomas et al., 2022) which involves voluntary abstinence from social media and technology and to reduce the negative impact on wellbeing and social relationships.
Research indicates a notable decrease in stress levels, enhanced sleep quality, and better general psychological well-being.
The National Day of Unplugging, observed from the evening of March 4th until March 5th, aims to encourage a 24-hour break from digital devices. This observance has been embraced by numerous organizations over the past few years and is strongly suggested (Radtke et al., 2022).
Establishing limits on screen usage specifically for work and for kids can protect the digital health of children and foster good habits from an early age by decreasing their overall screen time.
The importance of practicing conscious engagement with social media cannot be overstated. It should be approached intentionally because browsing and communicating through these platforms can lead to addiction. Ensuring that our personal relationships include face-to-face encounters is crucial; otherwise, we might fall into isolation and even experience symptoms of depression (benebynina.com, 2025).
It is strongly advised to establish guidelines for the usage of social media within organizations as well (Rosencrance and Fitzgibbons 2022).
Employees ought to be motivated to disconnect, minimize non-essential communication, cut down on virtual meet-ups, lessen visual fatigue among those who frequently use devices, and stay mindful of potential unexpected effects on their psychological well-being.
An alternative approach involves designating tech-free areas by establishing distinct limits and restricting the duration of engagement with particular digital platforms.
Alerts can notify us about the limitations imposed to minimize excessive scrolling and encourage focusing on different tasks. It’s also advisable to take frequent breaks, particularly when our job requires continuous engagement with digital screens.
Caring for our digital well-being is just as crucial as maintaining our physical health. Being aware places us in a stronger position to be cautious.
Stay aware and mindful of your digital usage, and empower yourself. If you sense you’re overindulging, take a break to preserve your digital well-being and mental health.
Provided by Syndigate Media Inc. (
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