Digital media and attention: A scoping review of experimental methods, theories, and evidence

There is widespread public concern about the potential impact of digital media use on attention, particularly how digital media use might compromise our ability to focus and sustain attention while performing a task. However, empirical research aimed at examining these effects is heterogeneous in terms of the types of digital media use and attention processes that are manipulated and tested. We conducted a scoping review of experimental and quasi-experimental studies on this topic to map the study designs used (Research Question [RQ]1); the exposures, outcomes, and populations studied (RQ2); the operationalizations and theoretical frameworks employed (RQ3); the mediators and moderators assessed (RQ4); and points of convergence or divergence. Across 92 articles (108 studies; N_total = 11,811), we found that most experiments assessed immediate performance changes under additional stimulation (e.g., dual-task interference or device presence), whereas relatively few studies investigated long-term changes in attentional functioning. Many observed effects may therefore reflect general costs associated with divided attention or multitasking rather than mechanisms unique to digital media. Furthermore, these studies operationalized these dual-task effects using a wide variety of outcome measures, which may capture partly distinct attentional processes and make findings difficult to compare across studies. We conclude that future research on the effects of digital media use on attention should more directly address the question that has motivated public concern: whether and under what conditions everyday digital media use produces enduring changes in attentional functioning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).