DIGITAL STRESS AND EMOTIONAL REGULATION AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS: PERSPECTIVES OF TEACHERS, COUNSELLORS, AND SCHOOL PROFESSIONALS

Abstract

This study introduces the concept of Digital Emotional Displacement (DED) — defined as the process by which adolescents habitually substitute screen engagement for internal emotional processing, producing a cumulative developmental deficit in self-regulation capacity. Distinct from screen addiction (a behavioural construct) and digital stress (an environmental one), DED identifies a psychological mechanism. one with significant implications for how schools, counsellors, and families understand and respond to adolescent emotional development in the digital age. Drawing on a qualitative multiple case study design, this study examined the emotional and behavioural consequences of digital stress among secondary school students (Grades 6–10, ages 11–16) across three schools representing contrasting socioeconomic and institutional contexts. Data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with nine school counsellors and fifteen teachers, classroom observations, and student questionnaires administered to thirty students. Thematic analysis revealed four findings: normalisation of excessive screen use across socioeconomic groups; consistent emotional dysregulation among high screen-use students; disruption to classroom engagement and peer relationships; and a critical gap in counsellor preparedness rooted in a fundamental mismatch between existing training frameworks and the technological reality of adolescent emotional life. A second construct, Algorithmic Comfort, explains why screens are so consistently preferred as emotional environments — their unconditional responsiveness and predictable reward offer adolescents engagement without vulnerability, making purely behavioral interventions insufficient.