Growing Up Digital: Bringing Evidence, Youth Voices, and Policy Together in Greece

What does it mean to grow up online?

Digital technologies are now an integral part of adolescents' everyday lives. Smartphones, social media, video games, and messaging apps increasingly shape how young people communicate, maintain friendships, stay informed, and engage with the world around them. As these technologies become more deeply embedded in adolescent life, governments worldwide are grappling with difficult questions: how should they respond to growing concerns about adolescent mental health? Which risks are supported by evidence? Which interventions are most likely to help? And how can policymakers act responsibly when the science continues to evolve?

These questions lie at the heart of the report "Growing Up Digital: An Evidence-to-Policy Synthesis", developed by the Child & Adolescent Mental Health Initiative (CAMHI) in collaboration with the Child Mind Institute (New York) and with exclusive support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) as part of the SNF Global Health Initiative (GHI). The report is officially presented at SNF Nostos 2026.

From International Evidence to the Greek Reality

The review examined 32 international documents (2017–2026) from organizations including the European Commission, the OECD, the WHO, UNICEF, and leading professional associations. By comparing 1,099 individual claims and 635 policy recommendations, it mapped the points of convergence, disagreement, and uncertainty that run through the international debate.

Alongside the international evidence base, the report drew on available Greek research data on adolescent digital life, online experiences, and wellbeing. It also incorporated qualitative material from structured dialogue sessions held with 85 adolescents aged 13 to 17 in five Greek cities, conducted through CAMHI's Youth Engagement Scheme (YES). In this way, international trends were connected to the Greek context and to the experiences of young people themselves.

This analysis is situated within a broader context of growing concern about adolescent mental health and efforts to address its negative dimensions.

Findings of the Report

The report finds that the available evidence is sufficient to justify institutional action, even when it does not provide definitive answers to every critical question. Yet the challenge for policymakers does not lie solely in distinguishing between beneficial and harmful digital experiences. It lies in finding the right balance between protecting young people from documented risks and safeguarding their autonomy, access to information, and the genuine benefits that digital participation can offer.

Effective responses to the challenges of digital life will therefore require action across multiple levels: families, schools, health systems, policymakers, regulators, and technology companies. The report proposes a layered framework for action that combines immediate measures with long-term investments in digital literacy, mental health services, platform accountability, and institutional coordination. In this sense, it underscores that policy interventions must be grounded in the most reliable available evidence and continuously adapted as the science evolves.

The real question is not whether digital life helps or harms young people, but how its benefits can be strengthened and its risks reduced. As countries around the world discuss how best to support the next generation in the digital age, the CAMHI report "Growing Up Digital" contributes to this conversation by bringing together scientific evidence, institutional approaches, and the voices of young people themselves.

Find and download the full report, here

Find and download the executive summary of the report here

The Child & Adolescent Mental Health Initiative programme is developed and implemented in Greece by a nationwide Network of public-sector mental health services and professionals, in partnership with the Child Mind Institute (New York) and with the support of the Ministry of Health. The Child & Adolescent Mental Health Initiative is supported exclusively by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) through the SNF Global Health Initiative (GHI).