Adolescents' Perspectives on Self-Regulation and Need for Change in Digital Media Use: A Focus Group Study
Digital Wellbeing
Reviewed by Sian Trombley, CCCFounder, Thrive Family Company
Emerging evidence
Source citation
Todorovic L, Bogaerts A, Larsen H. (2026). Adolescents' Perspectives on Self-Regulation and Need for Change in Digital Media Use: A Focus Group Study. Journal of adolescence. https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.70220
Published 6 July 2026 · Added to Thrive 26 July 2026
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A new other on digital wellbeing, summarised from the published record.
Published research findings
The study
Study design: other. Published in Journal of adolescence (2026). Reported sample: 78 participants. Setting: Netherlands.
What researchers examined
IntroductionResearch on digital media use and adolescents' development and well-being remains inconclusive, and adolescents' own perspectives on these issues are largely unexplored. Nevertheless, concrete policy measures are being implemented to regulate adolescents' digital media use.
What they found
Researchers reported that regarding mechanisms, they discussed how digital media can capture attention, distort time perceptions, and create challenges with self-regulation. When discussing the need to change their digital media use, adolescents emphasised that not only individual efforts in self-regulation, but also shared (with parents and peers) and structural (e.g., school-level) solutions may help to prevent exclusion and other risks.ConclusionAdolescents desire feasible ways to balance digital media use that preserve agency and relatedness while reducing negative effects.
Thrive editorial interpretation
What this may mean for families
The findings suggest the findings have implications for research, education, parenting, and policy focused on supporting adolescents' development in digital contexts. This does not establish what will happen in any individual family.
What this doesn't tell us
Important limitations
Check the study design in the source record before drawing firm conclusions. No control or comparison group is described in the abstract. The reported sample is small, so findings may not generalise. This summary is drawn from the published abstract. Read the source record for the complete methods and results.
Evidence confidence describes how much weight this study's design can carry — not how strongly the finding applies to any individual child or family.
This research summary is educational and does not replace individualized medical, psychological or therapeutic advice.
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Why it matters
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Why it matters
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