A systematic review led by York University reveals that combining online platforms with face-to-face support enhances the effectiveness of mental health interventions for children and young people, though significant research gaps remain for marginalised groups and very young children.
Digital mental health tools can improve children’s and young people’s emotional, behavioural, social and cognitive well-being, according to a new systematic review led by York University researchers that analysed 57 peer-reviewed studies involving more than 40,000 participants worldwide.
The review, published in npj Digital Medicine, found the strongest and most durable results came from hybrid approaches that combine online delivery with some in-person support. The researchers said those models performed more consistently at follow-up than fully virtual programmes, particularly when they were embedded in structured settings such as schools.
Rebecca Pillai Riddell of York University, who led the study with postdoctoral fellow Kaitlin Di Pierdomenico, said the findings show digital tools can play a meaningful role in youth mental health if they are introduced carefully and with equity in mind. Di Pierdomenico said the team wanted to understand not only whether these tools work, but also under what conditions and for whom the evidence exists.
The study also highlighted major gaps in the research base. Children ages 0 to 4 were rarely represented, and the authors said marginalised populations were under-represented as well, raising concerns about whether current digital interventions are reaching the young people most likely to need them. The researchers said those omissions matter because universal tools are meant to serve all children and adolescents, not only those who are easiest to study.
York worked on the project with Strong Minds Strong Kids, Psychology Canada, a charity focused on children’s mental well-being through psychological science. Anne Lovegrove, the group’s president and executive director, said the findings reinforce the need to get mental health promotion right and to direct it towards children who are often left behind. The work was also supported by the Jackman Foundation, which has backed youth mental health initiatives at York and Strong Minds Strong Kids.
Evidence published before the new review had already suggested digital interventions could help adolescents. A 2023 review in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence found small but encouraging effects on well-being and anxiety, while another review in Frontiers in Psychology reported benefits for LGBTQ+ youth when programmes were tailored to their needs and paired with support. The new York-led analysis broadens that picture by focusing on universal interventions for children and young people across a wider age range and by finding that mixed digital and in-person models appear to hold up best.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
