ORIGINAL ARTICLE The impact of digital media on health: children’s perspectives David Smahel • Michelle F. Wright • Martina Cernikova Received: 15 August 2014 / Revised: 27 November 2014 / Accepted: 28 December 2014 Ó Swiss School of Public Health 2015 Abstract Objectives Previous research has mainly focused on the effects of excessive digital media use or overuse on the health of children, primarily utilizing quantitative designs. More research should be conducted on general populations of children, rather than focusing exclusively on excessive technology users. This qualitative study describes tech- nology’s impact on physical and mental health from children’s perspectives. Methods Focus groups and interviews were conducted with children between the ages of 9 and 16 in 9 European countries (N = 368). During focus groups and interviews, researchers asked what children perceive as being poten- tially negative or problematic while using the internet and technology. Results In this study, children reported several physical and mental health problems without indicating internet addiction or overuse. Physical health symptoms included eye problems, headaches, not eating, and tiredness. For mental health symptoms, children reported cognitive sal- ience of online events, aggression, and sleeping problems. Sometimes they reported these problems with- in 30 min of technology usage. This suggests that even shorter time usage can cause self-reported health problems for some children. Conclusions Qualitative methodology helps to under- stand what children’s perspectives are concerning the impact of digital media on health. We recommend future studies focused on average technology users and low technology users to determine whether average levels of technology usage relate to health problems of chil- dren. Parents and teachers should also be informed about the possible physical and mental health issues associated with children’s average usage of technology. Keywords Digital media Á Physical health Á Mental health Á Technology Introduction Nowadays technology is deeply embedded in children’s lives. Their experiences with these technologies range from the negative to the positive, with the bulk of research focused on risky online behaviors (e.g., Kuss et al. 2013; Weaver et al. 2011). Less attention has been given to children’s experiences of the health-related outcomes of prolonged technology usage, including headaches, stomachaches, eye problems, excessive daytime sleepiness, and poor eating habits (Do et al. 2013; Mazer and Ledbetter 2012; Nuutinen et al. 2014). Most of the research on these topics is quantitative, and is con- cerned with excessive internet usage and internet addiction as they relate to health. In this study, we investigate children who are using technology at least weekly and focus on children’s perceptions of the health consequences associated with their utilization of new media. To fully understand these differ- ences, we employ a child-centered approach, which has not been used in previous research. This article is part of the special issue ‘‘Communication Technology, Media Use and the Health of Our Kids’’. D. Smahel (&) Á M. F. Wright Á M. Cernikova Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, Jostova 10, 60200 Brno, Czech Republic e-mail: smahel@fss.muni.cz Int J Public Health DOI 10.1007/s00038-015-0649-z 123