How’s your digital well-being?
By Taylor Kelly (taylor.kelly@oecd.org) and Ziga Zarnic (ziga.zarnic@oecd.org), OECD Centre on Well-Being, Inclusion, Sustainability and Equal Opportunity (WISE)
Why digital well-being matters
The digital revolution has transformed every aspect of our lives, from how we communicate and work to how we access essential services. But as digital technologies become intrinsic to daily life, their impacts on our well-being remain challenging to disentangle and understand. Are they making our lives better? Are they introducing new challenges? Or is the reality a complicated blend of the two?
On one hand, digital advancements offer unprecedented opportunities – AI-driven healthcare and remote work are transforming industries and enhancing connectedness. In most OECD countries, 16% of workers report greater independence in performing tasks thanks to digital technology, with 20% saying it has improved collaboration. On the other hand, there are the challenges associated with excessive screen time and cyberbullying, as well as mounting data privacy concerns. In addition, feelings of loneliness range from 4% to 14% across OECD countries, with digital tools sometimes worsening rather than alleviating perceived isolation.
Most statistics on digitalisation provide information on technology penetration and people’s digital practices, often missing the very human element – personal experiences and the feeling of a digital life. How does excessive screen time affect our mental health? What happens when trust in online information decreases? And how do we balance the opportunities to connect through technology against the risks of becoming more isolated? To unlock the full potential of digital innovations and mitigate their downsides, we need a richer, more nuanced understanding of what digital life is like for people from all walks of life. This is why the OECD and Cisco have joined forces to establish the Digital Well-being Hub. Beyond providing evidence on the benefits and risks of digital technologies, this groundbreaking initiative aims to crowdsource real-time insights on how people interact with digital technologies and how these interactions influence their well-being. By gathering personal stories and data, the Hub is bridging the gap between what we know from traditional statistics and what we need to learn from real-life experiences. It’s a step toward understanding – and ultimately improving – the complex relationship between technology and human well-being.
Critical gaps in digital well-being
According to the OECD, 40% of people who use the internet in OECD countries lack basic digital skills, limiting their ability to navigate safely and effectively. While these data and others show the broad impact of digital transformation, they often miss the personal stories behind the numbers. How do weak digital skills limit someone’s job prospects? How can mistrust in technology stop people from using online education or healthcare? These everyday challenges shape how people interact with technology and affect their well-being.
Access to digital tools is not simply about availability of devices, but about skills, income, education, employment, and trust. Older adults and those with less education face the biggest hurdles, often struggling to use essential online services, including for healthcare, education, and finances. Without inclusive digital policies, these digital skills gaps risk worsening existing inequalities. Improving access to digital tools and building digital skills can create a cycle of positive change, helping individuals and society thrive.
To make smart decisions and create fair digital environments, we need a better understanding of how technology impacts our lives. This is where the Digital Well-being Hub plays a vital role.
Shaping a better digital future together
The future of digital well-being begins with understanding the present. By gathering evidence on how people use digital tools and how technology impacts their health, education, social connections, and more, we can help ensure that policies and technologies promote safer and healthier relationships with technology. This work is essential for building a more inclusive digital future.
The data collected through the Hub will complement existing data and help to:
- highlight gaps in access and usage of digital tools;
- guide policies to create safer, inclusive digital environments;
- offer actionable insights for governments, businesses, educators, and more.
Your voice matters! Take our anonymous digital well-being poll here, and help create a digital future that enhances our lives without compromising our health, relationships, or safety. Share the poll with your network – every story counts, yours and that of those around you! Together, we can build a digital world that works for everyone.
Interested in delving further into the research on the impact of digital technologies? You can also read our paper.