The Silent Shift: How Digital Life Is Reshaping Children’s and Families’ Mental Health

Dr. Sanaa Alharahsheh, Research Manager at the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH)

You’ve likely seen it, maybe in your own home. A family sits together, but an unusual silence exists. Heads are bowed; eyes fixed on screens. Despite sharing a room, each is lost in a digital world.

Our digital world has reshaped family life. Children now spend hours a day on screens, while parents remain constantly connected to their devices. This constant connectivity comes at a cost: our collective mental health is strained, and the tools designed to connect us often create emotional distance instead. As a parent, I’ve seen technology’s benefits—but also its price: our patience, focus, and presence suffer. The evidence is clear: digital overuse creates patterns of distraction and dependency for both children and adults.

This isn’t about fear, but awareness. At the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), we see this as urgent for the next generation. The real question isn’t whether technology affects mental health, but how we can protect our families in this connected age.

If you’ve ever handed your child a tablet for quiet or caught yourself scrolling aimlessly, you’re not alone. Parents worldwide ask: Is this helping, or quietly harming? It’s not just how much tech we use, but how we use it. Digital tools can educate and connect. But endless, passive scrolling is linked to more anxiety and lower mood. Today’s youngest are growing up with “being online” as the default.

It’s a painful paradox: a teenager, surrounded by digital friends, feels profoundly alone in real life. That slumped posture after scrolling isn’t just a bad mood—it’s a symptom. Studies, such as the JAMA Paediatrics study, confirm that heavy social media use is strongly linked to anxiety, depression, and loneliness in teens. This “compare-and-despair” effect erodes self-esteem as they measure their reality against curated online illusions.

This creates an “isolation paradox,” where platforms designed for connection end up fuelling loneliness. A study by the University of Pennsylvania found that reducing social media use decreased feelings of loneliness and depression. It’s not just our emotions at stake. Apps are engineered to trigger dopamine releases, making each “like” a psychological reward. This conditions the brain to find the digital world more rewarding than the physical one, which is why simply “putting the phone down” feels so difficult. 

Let’s be honest: our children aren’t the only ones absorbed by screens. Parents are equally caught in the digital trap. We tell kids to log off, yet we check work emails during dinner, silently telling them that divided attention is regular. This phenomenon, called “technoference,” occurs when devices interrupt human connection. A parent glued to their phone can make a child feel unseen, sparking attention-seeking behaviour or quiet withdrawal, and ultimately weakening the parent-child bond.

This isn’t just an emotional issue; it’s a physiological one. Many parents turn to screens for a break, only to feel more anxious and stressed. The modern “always-on” work culture blurs the lines between professional and personal life, draining the energy we have for our families. However, reclaiming control can start with simple, intentional acts: silencing notifications at meals, putting phones away after work, or verbally committing, “I’m putting my phone down now; I’m listening.”

This global story has a very local heartbeat. Qatar is a nation where screens illuminate nearly every home. With near-universal internet access and high social media engagement, this connectivity brings both opportunity and pressure.

A joint study by WISH, WISE, DIFI, and HBKU found that high screen time among children and families is linked to increased stress, poor sleep quality, and weaker family communication. Additionally, a 2025 Communications of the ACM study revealed that nearly 30% of parents and adolescents in GCC countries meet the criteria for Internet addiction, which is twice the prevalence found in Europe.

But there’s hope. Qatar’s National Health and Mental Health Strategies (2019–2022) prioritise family well-being in policy. Campaigns for digital literacy, school awareness, and some restrictions on high-risk platforms continue. However, lasting change requires everyone- educators, parents, and policymakers, to collaborate for mindful, culturally rooted digital habits.

Technology’s story need not be one of disconnection. Used with purpose, it can strengthen our bonds. The aim is not to ban devices, but to consciously choose connection—be it a tech-free dinner or a shared activity. Teletherapy shows it can even be a powerful ally for mental health. The solution lies in small, consistent habits. A device-free evening or sustained eye contact rebuilds presence, answering a child’s most profound need: the certainty of our full attention.

Nations worldwide are pioneering solutions to restore our balance with technology. France’s “Right to Disconnect law protects personal time, while Nordic friluftsliv (open-air living) champions nature over screens. Singapore’s Digital for Life movement fosters mindful use, and Canada and the UK are implementing school phone bans. South Korea leads with digital detox camps to combat internet addiction.

The common thread? Well-being thrives not through bans, but through boundaries- supported by education, policy, and cultural commitment.

As a mother and a researcher, I feel this tension daily.   See my child’s face fall over a lack of ‘likes’ and watch family time dissolve into screen time. The scientist in me understands the dopamine-driven loops; the mother in me feels the ache of disconnection.

My work with WISH confirms what parents intuitively know: our devices can quietly erode closeness. But I’ve also witnessed hope. Small shifts—like co-created family tech rules—can restore balance. Then a parent says, “Let’s both put our phones away,” and it builds cooperation, not conflict.

The lesson? The solution isn’t confiscation, but collaboration. From families modelling mindfulness, schools teaching digital literacy, and policymakers designing tech environments that protect mental health. It’s time to move from describing the problem to building human-centred, evidence-based solutions. WISH is committed to leading this charge, turning insight into tangible impact for families everywhere.

If the digital age has taught us anything, it’s that genuine connection is built at home through unplugged dinners and mindful conversations. While unchecked technology reshapes family dynamics and child development, it is not an unstoppable force. Balance can be reclaimed through conscious choices.

Change begins with small choices. Policymakers must advocate for digital literacy, educators for emotional intelligence, and health professionals can identify overuse. Most importantly, parents can demonstrate that focused attention is the purest form of love. Let’s ensure technology strengthens bonds rather than severs them.

Join us at WISH 2026, where mental health and digital well-being will be centre stage. Our goal is not to live offline, but to reconnect deeply with what makes us human.