Talking about online activity and mental health with young people in primary care: A qualitative interview study

Young people - aged 16-24 - are high users of digital technology. Online activity can be both beneficial for mental health and harmful. Appointments in general practice (GP) or primary care talking therapy provide opportunities to discuss online activity and its impact on mental health with young people. Such conversations could have preventive value by increasing awareness of problematic behaviours, identifying risk and suggest safer use strategies. However, little is known about whether such conversations are currently delivered in primary care.

To explore practitioners views on discussing online activity and its role in the mental health of young people in primary care.

Qualitative study with practitioners in GP and Talking Therapy Method: Semi-structured interviews with 24 practitioners, analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Practitioners recognise helpful and harmful aspects to online activity, but there is variation in whether practitioners currently ask about online activity and whether they consider conversations appropriate for primary care. Several factors may shape confidence and decision making: practitioners own understanding of the online world; unable to change the impact on mental health or signpost to services; limitations in time, confidence or topic awareness. Practitioners identified a need for guidance and training to inform conversations about online activity.

There is variation in whether conversations about online activity with young people are happening in primary care. The development of best-practice resources is required to ensure conversations are acceptable to young people and effective at changing problematic online activity to improve mental health.