Risks and Opportunities in Digital Media Interventions for Youth: A Scientometric Review

Youth must navigate both the opportunities and risks associated with digital media. Thisscientometric review examined 120 empirical studies on digital media interventions for youthand used the 4C framework (content, contact, conduct, and contract) to map their thematic focus.Scientometric mapping techniques were applied to explore keyword co-occurrence patterns andcollaboration networks. Most interventions addressed either risks or opportunities separately(58.3%), whereas 39.2% combined risks and opportunities within the same 4C dimension. Only2.5% integrated multiple 4C dimensions. Interventions predominantly focused on content andconduct, with limited attention to contact and contract, including topics like social interactions,privacy, digital rights, and commercialization. Collaboration patterns were fragmented, withresearchers working within thematic clusters rather than across them, despite drawing on ashared conceptual foundation. These findings suggest that current interventions cover only partof the 4C framework. Future research should encourage more integrated, cross-dimensionalinterventions and stronger collaboration among researchers.