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Research Article: Consensus-based framework of actions within educational and family settings to promote healthy and safe ICT use among adolescents: a Delphi study

Date Published: 2026-06-24

Abstract:
Adolescents are increasingly exposed to a rapidly evolving digital ecosystem that offers opportunities for learning and health promotion, but also poses risks such as problematic use, health-related misinformation, cyberbullying, and exposure to inappropriate content. Despite growing public concern and regulatory attention, gaps remain in clear, evidence-based guidance to support adolescents, families, schools, and other stakeholders in promoting healthy and safe use of information and communication technologies. The aim of this study was to establish expert consensus priorities to inform policy and public health practice. Between November 2024 and June 2025, a three-round Delphi study was conducted with a multidisciplinary panel of experts. In round 1, experts proposed measures in response to an open-ended question. Responses were organized into categories using researcher triangulation. In round 2, the experts indicated their agreement or disagreement with each measure. In the third round, importance was rated on a 10-point scale (1-10). Consensus was predefined as ?80% agreement, and very high agreement as ?95%. A composite relevance variable integrating agreement and importance was used to classify measures into three relevance levels. Of 100 experts invited, 38 agreed to participate. The number of participants who responded in each round was 28 (Round 1), 22 (Round 2) and 17 (Round 3). The experts generated 184 actions grouped into the categories of educational sphere ( n =108; 58.70%), family sphere ( n = 60; 32.60%) and general actions ( n = 16; 8.70%). In round 2, 134 actions (72.83%) reached the consensus threshold and 52 (28.26%) reached a very high agreement (?95%). In the third round, 54 actions (29.35%) were classified in the highest importance range (9.0–10.0). Overall, 38 actions (20.65%) were classified as highly relevant, with most high-relevance actions related to families and educational centers. This study translates multidisciplinary expertise into a priority multisectoral action framework that emphasizes education and active mediation over predominantly restrictive approaches. The findings provide a basis for the design and implementation of coordinated measures across families, schools, and the community.

Introduction:
Adolescents are increasingly exposed to a rapidly evolving digital ecosystem that offers opportunities for learning and health promotion, but also poses risks such as problematic use, health-related misinformation, cyberbullying, and exposure to inappropriate content. Despite growing public concern and regulatory attention, gaps remain in clear, evidence-based guidance to support adolescents, families, schools, and other stakeholders in promoting healthy and safe use of information and communication technologies.…

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