Abstract

Digital dependence and substance use may co-occur in post-digital cohorts when platform design, peer norms, stress exposure, and individual vulnerabilities converge to reinforce dysregulated patterns of reward seeking, self-regulation failure, and affective coping. This Entry defines their co-occurrence as a multidetermined phenomenon in which digital environments, including algorithmic feeds, notifications, social comparison, and variable rewards, interact with developmental vulnerabilities such as identity formation, impulsivity, reward sensitivity, and emotional dysregulation. Psychiatric comorbidities, particularly depression, anxiety, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, and personality pathology, may increase susceptibility, while socioeconomic disadvantage and unequal access to care can intensify harm. Current evidence suggests that problematic digital use and substance use are more strongly related to functional impairment, coping motives, peer norms, and contextual stressors than to screen time alone. This Entry therefore organizes the available evidence around structural determinants, individual mechanisms, mental-health mediators, and prevention strategies, with emphasis on proportionate regulation, digital literacy, culturally adapted interventions, and integrated clinical pathways.

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