The review of global evidence from more than 360,000 young people found higher use of digital media in childhood was consistently linked to depressive symptoms and behavioural problems in later life.
Digital media is defined as any platform on which users can create and consume content, including social media, video games and messaging apps.
Social media was unsurprisingly the greatest area of concern, James Cook University lead author Sam Teague said.
"Digital environments are shaping child and adolescent development at a scale that we've never seen before," Dr Teague told AAP.
"When the evidence consistently links digital media use to poor outcomes, we should not treat this as a purely individual parenting problem."
With children watching less broadcast media and spending more time on platforms driven by algorithms, young brains are more frequently exposed to addictive content.
Early adolescence, defined as between 12 and 14, was the age at which children were most vulnerable to mental health issues brought on by social media.
Australia's social media ban for those younger than 16 has been in place since December.
While Dr Teague's study was not designed to assess the success of the ban, she said any protective measure was worth exploring.
However, the study also found not all interactions with digital media in adolescence were negative, with some video games associated with higher levels of attention and executive function.
Dr Teague recommended harnessing the potential benefits of online interaction, with restrictions beyond typical screen time limits.
"If we leave it up to developers to decide that, I think that's where we go into the world of maximising engagement and profit," she said.
18°C