Being online: visual expressions of youth experiences of digital well-being
1
1 Digital Transformations for Health Lab (DTH-Lab), Geneva, Switzerland
2
2 Young World Federation of Public Health Associations (YoungWFPHA), Geneva, Switzerland
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A901
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Creative methods are particularly relevant for youth populations, as they lower participation barriers, transcend language and cultural differences, and enable expression of complex emotional and social experiences that may be difficult to articulate through conventional survey tools. In hopes of informing policy and public agenda on how digital technologies and digital environments shape young people’s lived experience, health and well-being (1), Digital Transformations for Health Lab and Global Mental Health Action Network partnered on a digital well-being study.(2) For young people, being online is not a discrete behavior but a lived social space influencing identity, mental health, access to information, and participation.(3-5) Policy makers and public health institutions must strive to expand health-promoting aspects of digital environments whilst preventing harms.
METHODS:
This study is based on a participatory, creative research approach combining visual storytelling and thematic analysis. The Being Online gallery invited young people to submit visual contributions (illustrations, photographs, digital art) reflecting how being online affects their well-being. Gallery submissions were curated and analyzed thematically, linking visual narratives to key dimensions of DDoH - including not only access and digital literacy, but also aspects such as structural inequities that shape young people’s digital well-being.(6)
RESULTS:
The gallery provides qualitative insights into how young people conceptualise digital well-being across diverse social and cultural contexts. Visual narratives highlight perspectives of young people in digital environments. These findings illustrate how digital environments function as complex and sometimes conflicting determinants of youth health and well-being.
CONCLUSIONS:
Creative, visual methods offer a powerful tool to understand DDoH and advance equity, inclusion, and sustainability in public health. By making young people’s lived experiences visible, the Being Online gallery demonstrates how creative approaches can complement traditional public health evidence, highlighting structural and informational determinants.
Creative methods are particularly relevant for youth populations, as they lower participation barriers, transcend language and cultural differences, and enable expression of complex emotional and social experiences that may be difficult to articulate through conventional survey tools. In hopes of informing policy and public agenda on how digital technologies and digital environments shape young people’s lived experience, health and well-being (1), Digital Transformations for Health Lab and Global Mental Health Action Network partnered on a digital well-being study.(2) For young people, being online is not a discrete behavior but a lived social space influencing identity, mental health, access to information, and participation.(3-5) Policy makers and public health institutions must strive to expand health-promoting aspects of digital environments whilst preventing harms.
METHODS:
This study is based on a participatory, creative research approach combining visual storytelling and thematic analysis. The Being Online gallery invited young people to submit visual contributions (illustrations, photographs, digital art) reflecting how being online affects their well-being. Gallery submissions were curated and analyzed thematically, linking visual narratives to key dimensions of DDoH - including not only access and digital literacy, but also aspects such as structural inequities that shape young people’s digital well-being.(6)
RESULTS:
The gallery provides qualitative insights into how young people conceptualise digital well-being across diverse social and cultural contexts. Visual narratives highlight perspectives of young people in digital environments. These findings illustrate how digital environments function as complex and sometimes conflicting determinants of youth health and well-being.
CONCLUSIONS:
Creative, visual methods offer a powerful tool to understand DDoH and advance equity, inclusion, and sustainability in public health. By making young people’s lived experiences visible, the Being Online gallery demonstrates how creative approaches can complement traditional public health evidence, highlighting structural and informational determinants.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
