Digital Inclusion, Psychological Well-Being, and Digital Competence

Abstract

Although a large proportion of adolescent students regularly use digital devices and the internet, the effects of digital technology on psychological health and digital competence are still a matter of policy and scholarly debates. Using 2018 PISA data, this chapter examines the influences of ICT use at home and in school on adolescents’ sense of belonging at school, positive psychological feelings, sense of purpose and meaning in life, and perceived ICT competence. Results of multilevel analyses across 22 developed countries suggest that ICT use for schoolwork both at home and in school increases adolescents’ perceived ICT competence. Although school ICT use has minimal positive effects on students’ psychological well-being in a few countries, the benefits of home ICT use are substantial. ICT use has equal or greater positive effects on perceived ICT competence and psychological well-being for low-SES students in half of the developed countries (e.g., the United Kingdom and Iceland), and greater positive effects for high-SES students in the other half. This suggests that some countries are more capable than others in implementing ICT use in education, which may mitigate some of the disparities in adolescent students’ psychological well-being.