Work

A multilevel meta-analysis of passive smartphone sensing of adolescent mental health

Year: 2026

Type: review

Study designs: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis

Abstract: Adolescence is a critical developmental stage in which the risk of mental health problems peaks. Passive smartphone sensing offers valuable opportunities for moment-to-moment assessment of such risk. The amount of research is growing steadily, but a quantitative synthesis of the literature is lacking. Therefore, this meta-analysis evaluated the association between passive smartphone data (e.g., GPS, call logs, and notifications) and adolescents' (12-24 years) mental health outcomes across 45 independent samples (N = 2939). Findings revealed a small but significant overall effect (r = 0.12). Most passive data correlated with mental health outcomes, except for the number of contacts, while linguistic markers showed a significant negative correlation. Associations were not moderated by study design features or type of outcome, but were significantly stronger in non-student than in student samples. These results highlight passive smartphone sensing as a promising tool for assessing precursors of adolescent mental health and provide guidance for future research.

Source: npj Digital Medicine

DOI: 10.1038/s41746-026-02706-2