From Lab to App (and Back): A Conceptual Framework for Evidence-Based Digital Mental Health Interventions in Children and Adolescents

Mental health problems represent a major global challenge, with access to appropriate care for children and adolescents remaining severely limited. Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) can offer scalable, accessible support beyond traditional clinical settings. Despite a constantly growing number of youths DMHIs, the evidence base is constrained, due to a lack of replication and follow-up studies, scarce side-effect examination, and heterogeneous designs and characteristics. This is particularly concerning regarding young people as a vulnerable population. Knowledge of intervention processes is important to advance the field of DMHIs, while this topic is under researched in both DMHIs and traditional interventions for youth. Reaching full potential of DMHIs for youth requires an integrated research and development approach.We consulted experts from multiple disciplines, including youths psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, computer scientists and ethicists specializing in digital mental health, to integrate the current state of knowledge into a conceptual framework.The conceptual framework “From Lab to App (and Back)” emphasizes continuous exchange between DMHI research and development, with participatory collaboration, embedded ethics, and science communication relevant in all stages. We outline that DMHIs are particularly well suited to generate insight into mechanisms of change and discuss key factors in DMHIs for youth. Furthermore, we address the need for more unified conceptualizations and standardized reporting and illustrate a working intervention process model for youths DMHIs to induce an overarching research agenda.Overall, the framework provides a structured pathway toward scientifically rigorous and clinically meaningful digital innovation in youth mental health research and practice.