Abstract
This paper responds to Hickie et al.’s (2023) call for more nuanced, longitudinal research into the effects of digital technology on youth mental health by offering a complementary phenomenological perspective grounded in lived experience of Bipolar I disorder. Rather than asserting causality, the paper explores how new technologies, particularly social media and messaging platforms, may act as catalysts for mood destabilisation in individuals with pre-existing vulnerabilities. Drawing on first-person accounts, the paper examines how overstimulation, impulsive digital behaviours, identity fragmentation, and exposure to curated social content can exacerbate manic and depressive episodes. Particular attention is given to how digital interactions disrupt sleep, fuel emotional dysregulation, and contribute to self-stigma and relational conflict, thereby creating feedback loops that undermine mental stability. While acknowledging that digital platforms also offer valuable social support, the paper argues that their affective and cognitive demands can be especially destabilising for those with mood disorders. In this context, social media functions not as a neutral environment but as a magnifier of internal dysregulation, simultaneously offering connection and compounding alienation. The author calls for future research to integrate lived experience accounts with clinical and longitudinal data, recognising that individual differences play a crucial role in shaping responses to digital environments. Such an approach would deepen our understanding of the psychosocial mechanisms linking technology use to mental health outcomes and offer more targeted insights into the challenges faced by neurodivergent young people navigating a hyperconnected world.