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We aimed to investigate the cross-sectional associations of digital technology use with mental health indicators during the pandemic in 12 countries in the Global South.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      We used data from the UNICEF Innocenti\n                      <jats:italic>Disrupting Harm<\/jats:italic>\n                      survey. The survey included a representative sample of 11,912 internet-using children aged 12\u201317 in Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Uganda, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. We modelled the associations of social connection during lockdown and internet use during the pandemic with six different indicators of wellbeing in each country (excluding Tanzania, where there had been no lockdowns) and in the overall sample using robust linear and logistic regression. We controlled for a range of putative socioeconomic and demographic confounders and handled missing data using multiple imputation.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We did not find clear evidence for any general associations of social connection or internet use with mental health indicators during lockdown across countries. Rather, our results are complex and demonstrate that the relationship depends heavily on an individual\u2019s context; not just on the country they are living in but also on their gender, urbanicity and other factors. Nonetheless, our results highlight key focus areas for further research.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Extensive further research is needed to identify ways in which technology use, including internet use, might act as a risk or protective factor relevant to mental ill health among young people in the countries of the Global South.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1007\/s00127-026-03101-8","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]],"date-time":"2026-08-04T12:30:09Z","timestamp":1785846609000},"page":"2669-2682","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Children\u2019s social connections, internet usage and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Global South: evidence from Disrupting Harm"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"61","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1770-7585","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Thomas E.","family":"Metherell","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7620-4462","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sebastian","family":"Kurten","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8488-0273","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sakshi","family":"Ghai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8198-5790","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"George B.","family":"Ploubidis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0459-657X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dar\u00edo","family":"Moreno-Agostino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2937-4183","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Amy","family":"Orben","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"3101_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e049653","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2021-049653","volume":"11","author":"C Porter","year":"2021","unstructured":"Porter C, Favara M, Hittmeyer A et al (2021) Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on anxiety and depression symptoms of young people in the global south: evidence from a four-country cohort study. 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In the past 36 months, AO has received funding from the Wellcome Trust, Nathoo Family Foundation, Jacobs Foundation, UK Research and Innovation (incl. Medical Research Council, Economic and Social Research Council and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council), the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, National Institute of Health, University of Cambridge, Emmanuel College of the University of Cambridge and the Livelihood Impact Fund. She was an unpaid member of the ESRC Smart Data Research UK Programme Board, British Academy Public Policy Committee, UK Department for Education Science Advisory Council, UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport College of Experts, Australian eSafety Commissioner Social Media Minimum Age Evaluation Academic Advisory Group, and a paid member of the Digital Futures for Children Centre Advisory Board. She has also received consulting fees from Innovate UK through Opalescent LTD.","order":1,"name":"Ethics","label":"Competing interests","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Declarations"}},{"value":"Full details on the relevant ethical approvals in each country can be found in the Supporting Information. Informed consent or assent was obtained from all participants in accordance with the UNICEF Procedure on Ethical Approval in Research.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","label":"Ethical information","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Declarations"}}]}}