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2 clusters · 8 sources · 5 days · First seen · Last updated

Estonian government response to youth digital mental health

Overview

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal has commissioned an advisory council of ten experts to investigate the negative impacts of social media and video games on youth mental health. The council, comprising specialists such as a neurologist and a clinical psychologist, is tasked with providing recommendations for the state, parents, and young people by next year.

The initiative follows findings from the ‘EU Kids Online Estonia 2025’ study and data from the National Institute for Health Development, which indicated rising symptoms of social media addiction among 11-to-15-year-olds. Research linked prolonged digital communication to decreased life satisfaction, shorter sleep, and more frequent depressive episodes.

Rather than implementing outright bans, the government is focusing on an educational strategy to combat digital anxiety. The initiative aims to improve digital literacy and provide tools for minors to manage screen time and understand digital risks, fostering healthier habits and conscious technology use.

Entities

Estonia · Kristen Michal · University of Tartu

Timeline

  1. 6 days ago

    [CULTURE] 6 sources
    Estonia implements educational strategy to combat digital anxiety

    Estonia is implementing an educational strategy to combat digital anxiety in youth, using an expert council to promote digital literacy and healthy habits instead of banning social media and video games.

  2. 11 days ago

    [TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
    Estonia forms expert council to tackle social media impact on youth mental health

    Estonia has formed an expert advisory council to develop recommendations for protecting youth mental health from the negative effects of social media and gaming, focusing on prevention over bans.

Sources

diariodealmeria.es · diarioparaguayo.com · jcmagazine.com · lanzadigital.com · moreto.net · noticiasdemalaga.es · notimercio.ec · telegraph.md