Digital engagement and youth: a scoping review of opportunities, risks, and the role of socioeconomic resources

The rapid expansion of digital technologies has created both opportunities and risks for young people. Previous research shows that their digital engagement is often driven by educational or informational needs, social interaction, and entertainment. However, many practitioners and scholars warn of youth-specific risks. Moreover, pre-existing socioeconomic advantages shape not only access but also young people’s digital motivation, mastery, and patterns of engagement. Adopting an inclusive approach that encompasses a wide range of methodologies, we conduct a scoping review to explore the impact of digital engagement on young people's life outcomes, with a particular focus on the role of socioeconomic resources. We selected relevant studies from a systematic search of the Web of Science, PsycINFO, and the International Bibliography of the Social Sciences. We then categorized the empirical evidence based on its relevance to our topic and analyzed each study's results, determining whether it showed benefit or harm based on the observed direction of the effect. Findings from 57 empirical studies suggest that digital activities are not inherently harmful or beneficial but depend on the specific task in focus and the domain of life outcomes considered. While digital engagement tends to have a positive impact on academic outcomes, its effects on wellbeing are mixed. Socioeconomic resources generally give young people an additional advantage in using digital devices and activities for more positive life outcomes and in balancing online opportunities and risks. However, more research is needed to analyze the channels through which this advantage is realized.