Digital well-being and health: A fundamental right and personal responsibility

By R. Esi Asante (PhD)

If technology is becoming central to everything you do, and causing a disruption to your personal health, then pay attention. Consider your relationship with digital tools in recent times, does it take a toll on your well-being and health?

Do you pursue digital well-being and mental health? Your answers to these questions, brings to the fore, the need to prioritize digital wellbeing.  Digital technology is known to be a double-edged sword used for both good and bad. When it is used to enhance individual lives and those of others, it is called digital wellness.

Think about the many ways you have used digital technology, assimilating it into your daily activities, whether using smartphones to browse social media, for work and education, spending time in front of a screen at work or gazing at smartwatches or digital devices for entertainment. The health implications require the need to be aware of digital wellness and health.

Despite the many advantages, exaggerated dependence on digital technology, can lead to long and serious health issues. Physically, excessive screen time can lead to digital eye strain, frequent headaches, and fatigue, wrist, back, neck and shoulder aches, as well as poor sleep quality.

Mentally, the risks of depression, low self-esteem, and anxiety linked to constant connectivity are experienced, coupled with detachment and isolation. Emotionally, the overuse of technology can cause distractions from doing meaningful things connected to real lives. All these tend to diminish overall well-being (benebynina.com, 2025).

This article highlights digital wellbeing and health and seeks to create awareness about the good, the bad and the need to maintain digital wellness.

Digital Wellbeing:

Digital wellbeing refers to the influence of technologies and digital services on individual’s physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

It is the state of personal well-being experienced through the use of electronic tools, systems, devices and resources while in organizations, digital wellness or wellbeing is the use of technology to ensure employees physical and mental health.

Advancement in technology and the introduction of the internet has resulted in many innovations in work processes, education and entertainment.  Literature suggests that digitalization has progressively affected the quality of work in organisations, improving automation of work systems and processes (Eurofound, 2018).

Generally, the consensus is that these digital devices should be designed in ways that promote healthy use and to proactively assists users in maintaining healthy lifestyles.

The abuse of social media and other technologies can injure people, therefore, digital wellness is not just about disconnecting from devices, but creating awareness about the potentially unhealthy relationship with technology and how it can affect other aspects of life.

Digital wellness is important because it enables individuals to be more engaged and productive, leading healthier lives, enabling them to be less exhausted and distracted (Rosencrance and Fitzgibbons 2022).

The Good and the Bad of Digital technologies:

Due to many restrictions during the COVID pandemic, the world was pressed to adopt digital technology which has now become part of our daily lives.

Work from home and online education become commonplace, increasingly dependent on digital technology.

Failing to pay attention to digital wellness may lead to negative effects from overuse of technology. Below are some notable conditions of digital technology that affects wellbeing.

Dooms Scrolling:

Doom scrolling is a risky condition that affects digital wellbeing. It is the excessive focus on negative news on social media.

Those affected cannot stop looking for the latest bad news which makes them irritable and unproductive, thereby affecting their mental health, leading to feelings of helplessness and mental fatigue.

It increases arousal, anxiety, and depression and reduces psychological well-being and life satisfaction. Such people become negative in their outlook and are unable to stay positive (UNC Health Caldwell, 2023).

Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

The anxiety of possibly missing out on positive experiences or opportunities, affects digital well-being.  Staying away from electronic gadgets causes fear of missing out (FOMO), an experience which is fueled by excessive social media use.

For some people, the condition is caused by the universality of digital technologies. This constant need to stay connected and informed can lead to decreased self-esteem, increased stress and anxiety, and even sleep disturbances (Alutaybi et al., 2020).

It is also associated with a range of negative life experiences and feelings, such as a lack of sleep, reduced life competency, emotional tension, negative effects on physical well-being, anxiety and a lack of emotional control.

A well-known example of FOMO is a psychiatric ailment known as Nomophobia (fear of being cut off from mobile phone connectivity) (Bhattacharya et al., 2023).

Many Gen Z and millennials have developed intimate relationships and created virtual lives (Metaverse) that they are unable to achieve in the real world. They use emoji’s that seek to convey their emotions online.

Others post-inspirational quotations to indicate their feelings. Thus, they become anxious if they feel that they will be cut off from the outside world. They cannot live without their gadgets and are constantly online as digital natives.

Seeking Validation:

Seeking validation, particularly through digital platforms, can negatively impact digital wellbeing. It is human to seek recognition from others to validate self-worth and self-identity. When it becomes chronic, it can affect our mental health.

Individuals who rely heavily on external approval, like likes, comments, and shares, may experience fluctuations in self-esteem, anxiety, and depression when they don’t get it. Constantly comparison with others online can lead to feelings of insufficiency and pressure to maintain a certain persona online.

What we must know is that there are dark sides of external and online validations. Unrealistic expectations are cultivated (Kumar, 2024).

Individuals often present a flawless version of themselves and their lives, through carefully crafted posts and filters, some deceptive, just to compare themselves unfavorably.

This constant exposure to superficially perfect lives which I call fake, can lead to feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, and even depression in some cases.

Romero (2025) observes that as we navigate the complex world of social media, it’s important to remain mindful of the psychological impacts of likes and other forms of digital validation.

It is important to nurture healthy relationships with social media, involving the recognition of the value of authentic self-expression and meaningful interactions over the pursuit of likes.

Cyber Bullying:

Cyberbullying is the use of digital technologies to bully others on social media, messaging platforms, gaming platforms and mobile phones (Kaspersky.com, 2024). It is aimed at scaring, angering or shaming those who are targeted.

Constant exposure to hurtful comments and cyber bullying can result in significant emotional distress, especially for vulnerable individuals such as children and teenagers (Cowie, 2023; Nixon, 2014).

This continuing harassment can lead to reduced self-esteem, social isolation, and even suicidal ideation. Cyberbullying is a very serious issue affecting not just the victims, but also their families, the bully, and those who witness cases of cyberbullying.

Victims may experience a number of emotional issues that affect their social and academic performance as well as their overall mental health including recurrent abdominal pain, headaches and difficulty with sleep. (Høgsdal, et al., 2025).

Digital devices and gadgets

Digital technology can promote human wellbeing as well. A wide range of wearable devices, such as live cameras and gaming interfaces, and mobile phone applications, help in collecting basic health data in the era of the fourth industrial revolution.

These gadgets and software collect data on individual pulse rate, heartbeat, oxygen saturation, and calorimeter readings, as well as more complex health information.

They measure intraocular pressure, fetal heartbeat, and gait recognition among others. This has resulted in changes in health-seeking behaviours. May people now resort to digital platforms to seek primary healthcare and first aid.

They are now more likely to turn to Google rather than seek medical attention, when they notice symptoms.

However, it is important to note that patients must seek health information from reliable sources, such as their primary care givers due to the increasing prevalence of false and misleading materials on the internet.

Virtual hospitals have been strengthened by the COVID 19 pandemic because patients can plan consultations with professionals worldwide to discuss their health, get an opinion on tests, and receive treatment recommendations via a virtual hospital network.

The World Health Organization (WHO) posits that health is “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.” They developed a strategy on digital health which bother on rapid digitalization and easy availability of the internet, attachment to digital devices and electronic gadgets, ethical difficulties, the digital world and digitization, social media use, Metaverse (Second Life) and Virtual hospitals among others.

Therefore, people can benefit from the WHO’s Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020-2025, which states that digital Health efforts must be directed by a comprehensive plan that incorporates financial, organizational, human, and technological resources to achieve their full potential, whether at the national or regional levels.

Maintaining a sense of Digital Wellbeing:

Researchers have warned of the need to prioritize healthy technology use in order to support a balanced physical, mental and emotional health.

Digital detox interventions have been suggested (Thomas et al., 2022) which involves voluntary abstinence from social media and technology and to reduce the negative impact on wellbeing and social relationships.

Studies have shown that there has been a significant reduction in stress, improved sleep hygiene, and overall improved mental health.

The national day of unplugging observed on 4th-5th March, dedicated to promoting 24 hours’ detox from technology has been followed by many organizations for several years and it is highly recommended (Radtke et al., 2022).

Setting boundaries for screen time especially for work and for children. This helps safeguard children’s digital well-being and ensures healthy habits early on by helping to reduce screen time.

Practice mindful use of social media cannot be overemphasized. This must be done deliberately since scrolling and messaging on social media can be addictive. it is important to deliberately ensure that our social lives are infused with in person interactions or else we risk social isolations and even depression (benebynina.com, 2025).

The need to set ground rules for the use of social media in organisations is also highly recommended (Rosencrance and Fitzgibbons 2022).

Workers should be encouraged to switch off, limit communications that aren’t critical, reduce online meetings, lower eye strain in frequent device users and to be aware of unforeseen mental health impacts.

Another strategy is to establish technology free zones by setting clear boundaries and limiting the time spent on specific platforms.

Notifications can help alert us of the limits set so as to reduce scrolling and to focus on other things. Taking regular breaks especially when our work involves staying behind the screen all the time is also highly recommended.

Taking care of our digital wellbeing is as important as we take care of our physical health. Awareness puts us in a better place to take precaution.

Be conscious and digital sensitive and be empowered whenever you feel like overdoing it, take a break and maintain your digital wellbeing and mental health.

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