High speed internet and the widening gender gap in adolescent mental health: Evidence from Spanish hospital records

B-Tier
Journal: Journal of Health Economics
Year: 2025
Volume: 102
Issue: C

Authors (3)

Arenas-Arroyo, Esther (WU Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien) Fernandez-Kranz, Daniel (not in RePEc) Nollenberger, Natalia (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

0.670 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We exploit variations in fiber optic (FTTH) deployment to assess the impact of high-speed internet access on adolescent mental health. Our findings reveal that FTTH access increases addictive Internet usage and reduces time allocated to sleep, homework, as well as social interactions with family and friends. Access to FTTH increases mental health diagnoses in hospitals and contributes to a notable rise in adolescent suicide rates, particularly among girls. As new platforms and apps gain traction among adolescents, understanding the impact of connectivity improvement becomes important. This is especially relevant given the current FTTH growth replacing older broadband technologies.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:jhecon:v:102:y:2025:i:c:s0167629625000499
Journal Field
Health
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-24