Digital Technologies, Mental Health and Well-Being

Dear Colleagues,

Research on the relationships between digital technologies, mental health and well-being has grown rapidly in recent years. A wide variety of technologies and digital media are involved—smartphones, tablets, TV, apps, connected devices—offering access to diverse content and functions such as social networks, video games, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, online therapies, and communities.

Studies examine both the beneficial and harmful links between these technologies and mental health and well-being, with well-being being viewed through its hedonic, psychological and social dimensions.

On the one hand, research explores the positive uses of digital technologies, whether for individuals with mental disorders (e.g., psychotherapies for phobias or anxiety) or for the broader population—for example, in education, prevention, public health communication, emotion regulation, social support and well-being enhancement.

On the other hand, studies also investigate the detrimental links between digital technology uses, particularly problematic uses, and mental health, including decreased well-being, anxiety, digital stress, depressive symptoms, sleep disturbances, “Internet addiction,” etc.

This Special Issue invites authors to submit manuscripts addressing a broad range of topics linking digital technologies and media to mental health and well-being, with a focus on children, adolescents, adults and older adults. Conceptual, empirical (qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods), assessments and review papers are all welcome.

Abstract Deadline: October 2026

Notification of Abstract Acceptance: November 2026

Prof. Dr. Didier Courbet
Prof. Dr. Marie Pierre Fourquet-Courbet
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Behavioral Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.