The connection of hopelessness between digital addiction and climate anxiety

In young people with higher digital addiction symptoms, hopelessness about the future was also found to be higher. A study involving 3,561 high school students in Turkey showed that there is a connection between hopelessness and concerns about climate and environmental issues.

The study, which was also contributed to by Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, evaluated students' digital usage habits, outlook on the future, and environmental concerns through surveys. The “eco-anxiety” addressed in the research expresses the anxiety experienced in the face of climate change and environmental issues.

According to the findings, the direct relationship between digital addiction and climate anxiety remained quite weak. When hopelessness was taken into account, this direct relationship was not found to be statistically significant. This result indicates that understanding the connection between young people's digital lives and their environmental concerns requires considering future pessimism.

Students who reported encountering climate and environmental content more frequently on social media also had higher levels of eco-anxiety. Researchers recommend enhancing digital media literacy, strengthening the sense of hope, and increasing opportunities for young people to participate in the search for solutions to environmental issues in support efforts.

The study is based on students' responses during a specific period. Therefore, the findings do not prove that digital addiction causes hopelessness or climate anxiety; they reveal how these situations are related to each other.

The research was published in Frontiers in Public Health.

Article access link
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1830212