The integrative model of ICT effects on Adolescents’ well-being (iMEW): The synthesis of theories from developmental psychology, media and communications, and health

Abstract

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have become commonplace in adolescents’ lives, and they have grown in importance during the COVID-19 pandemic, when online communication became standard for many parts of life. This brings the need for developmental psychology to revise and update its theories for these new societal challenges. It is beneficial to look at these changes from an interdisciplinary perspective to enrich developmental psychology with knowledge from other fields. This theoretical article proposes the Integrative Model of ICT Effects on Adolescents’ Well-being (iMEW), which integrates the Problem Behaviour Theory from developmental psychology and the Differential Susceptibility to Media Effects Model from media and communications. It draws inspiration from the Ecological Systems Theory and the Health Belief Model. The new model brings a more comprehensive understanding to adolescents’ development and the effects of ICTs on their well-being. It is also helpful for the empirical research because it can serve as a roadmap for research that focuses on the effects of ICT. [ FROM AUTHOR]