High-speed internet and socioemotional wellbeing in adolescence and youth

Karina Colombo (), Elisa Failache () and Martina Querejeta ()
Additional contact information
Karina Colombo: European University Institute
Elisa Failache: FCEA, Universidad de la República
Martina Querejeta: FCEA, Universidad de la República

Journal of Population Economics, 2025, vol. 38, issue 1, No 17, 29 pages

Abstract: Abstract The internet has affected countless aspects of our lives, posing potential benefits and risks to people’s wellbeing. However, there is still limited evidence concerning the effects of the internet on socioemotional wellbeing in adolescence and youth, despite being a particularly vulnerable stage for mental development. This paper analyzes the causal effects of exposure to high-speed internet on socioemotional wellbeing in adolescence and youth, exploiting geographic and cross-cohort differences in fiber optic accessibility. We identify intention-to-treat effects by combining administrative data from a fiber-optic-to-the-home (FTTH) project in Uruguay with large survey data. Results show mixed effects. Going from 0 to a 100% probability in FTTH accessibility reduces the incidence of feeling lonely by 9 percentage points (pp) but increases the incidence of feeling worried by the same magnitude. We also find an increase in the probability of having a medical visit of 11 pp, without statistically significant effects in visits to a psychologist or psychiatrist. While the effect on feeling worried is widespread, the reduction in loneliness is mostly among boys and individuals with lower educational background. Dissatisfaction with their way of being and increased risky behaviors emerge as the leading mechanisms behind the detrimental effect on feeling worried.

Keywords: Mental health; Adolescents; Fiber optic; Developing country (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00148-025-01082-7 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:jopoec:v:38:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1007_s00148-025-01082-7

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... tion/journal/148/PS2

DOI: 10.1007/s00148-025-01082-7

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Population Economics is currently edited by K.F. Zimmermann

More articles in Journal of Population Economics from Springer, European Society for Population Economics Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().