Technology Matters: Using digital mental health tools for children and young people - clinical implications of neurorights.

Abstract

The rapid expansion of digital mental health technologies is transforming child and adolescent mental health services through tools such as wearable devices, behavioural monitoring, predictive algorithms and digital interventions. While these innovations offer opportunities for earlier detection, personalised care and improved continuity of support, they also raise important ethical and developmental challenges. Current neurorights frameworks have emerged to protect mental privacy, autonomy, personal identity and agency in response to advances in neuroscience and neurotechnology. However, these frameworks have largely been developed with adults in mind and may not adequately address the distinctive vulnerabilities of children and adolescents. This article examines the implications of digital mental health technologies in young people from a developmental neurorights perspective. It argues that safeguarding children's rights means keeping open the possibilities for their development, avoiding labelling or categorising them too early and respecting their growing autonomy. Clinical, service and policy recommendations are proposed to support ethically responsible implementation.