Supporting Families in the Digital Age: How Clinicians Can Respond to Concerns About Adolescent Media Use

Digital media use is increasingly intertwined with adolescents' mental health, yet parents may encounter conflicting or oversimplified information about how online behaviors affect mood, anxiety, and well-being. Clinicians can help parents of adolescents who are experiencing mental health issues (particularly mood or anxiety disorders) by supporting them in both understanding the relationship between digital media use and their adolescents' mental health and identifying specific strategies for their adolescents. In this column, the authors outline practical strategies (e.g., assessing parents' beliefs about mental health and digital media usage, promoting open communication in the family regarding the adolescent's online behavior, encouraging parents to model healthy media habits, and addressing family conflicts about media use) for clinicians to use in providing collaborative care for families.