Smart home device use influences older adults’ mental health through social interaction and digital benefits

This study examines how smart home device use influences older adults’ mental health over time. Using three waves of the China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey (2018, 2020, 2023), we constructed a balanced panel of 4,541 adults and applied hierarchical regression and PROCESS Model 6 with 5,000 bootstraps. Results show that smart home device use is positively associated with subsequent mental health. However, after accounting for mediators, the direct association is no longer significant, indicating the effect is mainly indirect. Both social interaction and digital benefits mediate this association, with a sequential pathway from social interaction to digital benefits also supported. Subgroup analyses reveal stronger links among urban and higher-educated groups. These findings suggest that smart home technologies may promote mental health primarily by enhancing social engagement and perceived digital convenience, informing the integration of these technologies into aging-in-place and healthy aging strategies.