Exploring digital citizenship and its influence on adolescents’ mental health: A survey of school and parent roles
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As global concern grows regarding the impact of digital technology on adolescents’ mental health, utilizing digital citizenship as a preventive tool is more crucial than ever. This study aimed to identify the personal, family, and school-related factors that influence the development of adolescents’ digital citizenship and to examine how distinct components of digital citizenship relate to adolescents’ mental health. Our study in Bangkok adopted a Digital Citizenship Scale called the S.A.F.E. model, the leading character of Self-identity in digital environment, Activity online, Fluency for digital tools, and Ethics for digital environment. These components enable individuals to navigate the digital world safely, respectfully, and knowledgeably. This study assessed digital citizenship and mental health among 952 secondary school and vocational students. The results show the relationship between digital citizenship and adolescents’ mental health, with significant findings consistently observed at a moderate level across all S.A.F.E. dimensions. The S.A.F.E. components contribute to the negative impact of excessive internet use, worsening student mental health. In addition, digital parenting (β, .142; 95% CI, 0.86–1.13) is a significant positive predictor of digital citizenship, showing a strong association with higher levels of digital citizenship. The intensity of teaching with technology use (β, .366; 95% CI, 8.85–10.55) also significantly predicts digital citizenship. Our findings highlight the critical roles of schools and parents in promoting digital citizenship, emphasizing the need for effective communication and cooperation between teachers and parents to support adolescents’ mental health and responsible digital engagement.
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