Systematized scoping review of instruments for measuring adolescent digital technology use

Digital technology is a ubiquitous part of adolescent life, yet progress in understanding its implications for health and development is constrained by the lack of standardised, developmentally appropriate measurement tools. This systematized scoping review, conducted following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, identifies and evaluates instruments used to measure adolescent digital technology use between 2014 and December 14 2025. Searches in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science yielded 533 peer-reviewed studies, from which 135 validated measurement instruments were identified. We extracted data on instrument characteristics and conducted a secondary search to evaluate psychometric properties using adapted COSMIN criteria. Most tools relied on self-reported frequency or duration of use, with 63% designed to detect problematic behaviours-such as social media addiction or gaming disorder-often using adult-derived clinical criteria. Fewer than 2% of instruments assessed positive or developmentally beneficial use. Tools frequently lacked adolescent-specific content, cultural adaptation, and validation across sociodemographic subgroups, and objective or multi-method measures were rare. Current measurement practices are heavily risk-focused and often insufficiently tailored to adolescents' developmental and sociocultural contexts. This review lays the foundation for WHO's efforts to develop more balanced, psychometrically robust, and culturally sensitive approaches to measuring adolescent digital technology use.

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