The Programme on Adolescent Well-Being in the digital age investigates how the Internet, social media platforms, and video games influence the mental health and psychosocial functioning of young people. This ambitious research programme is pursued by a team of behavioural scientist’s keen to collect, collate, and analyse the best possible data to gain evidence-based insights that are useful for health policymakers and technology regulators.
Our team is studying individual, national, and international trends in the mental well-being of young people to determine for who, how and why health is changing over time. Our goal is to determine what role, if any, the introduction, and adoption of digital technologies shape well-being dynamics.
Our work has three main components: (1) The collation and analysis of dozens of datasets including data on technology use and health spanning many decades and countries. (2) Meta scientific research to determine the reliability of existing evidence and creating new tools to draw robust causal inferences about technology effects. And (3) generating and evaluating the scientific value of large-scale datasets leveraging the power of open datasets with objective data shared by technology platforms.
Professor of Human Behaviour and Technology
Project role: Principal Investigator
Professor Przybylski is a psychologist who studies how online social media and video games platforms influence users’ mental health. His research focuses on how data from these platforms can inform regulation, policymaking, and expert advice.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Project role: Researcher
Karen is a Postdoctoral Researcher working on the research programme on 'Adolescent Well-Being in the Digital Age' with Prof. Andrew Przybylski.
Former Research Associate
Project role: Research Associate
Niklas Johannes is a behavioural scientist. He worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the Adolescent Well-Being in the Digital Age programme, where he studied effects of technology on well-being and performance.
Research Associate
Project role: Research Associate
Matti Vuorre is an experimental psychologist. He applies his expertise in cognitive psychology and Bayesian modelling as a postdoctoral researcher in the Programme on Adolescent Well-Being in the Digital Age.
Former Postdoctoral Researcher
Project role: Researcher
Sakshi Ghai was a Postdoctoral Researcher working on the research programme ‘Adolescent Well-Being in the Digital Age’, where she investigated the effects of digital technologies on adolescent well-being in global young populations.
With Professor Andrew Przybylski
Professor of Human Behaviour and Technology, Andy Przybylski gave the academic perspective, discussing the theme of digital wellbeing in relation to online safety.
With Professor Andrew Przybylski
Clive Myrie interviews Professor Andrew Przybylski on changes to the controversial Online Safety Bill. Professor Przybylski commented on the gravity of the issue: "We are talking about mental health and well-being of young people."
With Professor Andrew Przybylski
Professor Andrew Przybylski discusses the results of his latest research. that finds little causal relationship between video gaming and well-being.
30 April 2025
New Oxford study offers roadmap for understanding video games’ complex impact on wellbeing
12 March 2025
New analysis finds that the number of hours spent playing Nintendo games did not significantly affect adults’ mental well-being, life satisfaction, emotional state, or depressive symptoms.
21 January 2025
With the rapid adoption of AI by children and adolescents using digital devices to access the internet and social media, OII experts call for a clear framework for AI research considering the impact on young people and their mental health.
25 September 2024
Playing video games can be good for your mood, according to a new international study from researchers at the Oxford Internet Institute, part of the University of Oxford.
BBC Radio 4, 17 March 2025
And how long is too long when it comes to gaming? A new story from the OII has found that the number of hours adults spent playing video games did not significantly affect their mental well-being. We hear from the co-author Prof Andy Przybylski.
Forbes, 14 March 2025
Article highlights the current debate about concerns around social media use and adolescents citing research from Professor Andy Przybylski.
BBC News, 11 February 2025
We are all guilty of doomscrolling through short-form content. But is it becoming Gen Z's defining bad habit?
Yahoo!, 26 January 2025
Researchers from the Oxford Internet Institute have called for a re-evaluation of how researchers study the impact of internet-based technologies on youth mental health
