Two new research articles on AI and adolescent mental health

With the rapid advancement of AI-based technologies in healthcare, ethical questions are gaining increasing attention - particularly when these technologies are used with adolescents. Two recent publications by Gottfried Schweiger at the Centre for Ethics and Poverty Research address this complex field and contribute to the ethical debate on digital phenotyping in the context of mental health.

In his article " Explainability as an ethical requirement for digital phenotyping in adolescents", (published in Clinical Ethics) Schweiger argues that conventional notions of "explainability" in algorithmic systems are insufficient when applied to adolescent populations. Digital phenotyping - the use of digital behavioral data, such as smartphone activity, to assess psychological states - raises complex ethical issues. Schweiger emphasizes that explainability in this context must be understood as a developmental and relational concept: beyond technical transparency, factors such as cognitive development, identity formation, and the need for epistemic autonomy play a crucial role.

The second article, " The ethics of AI-assisted digital phenotyping in adolescent mental health: a framework for informed consent and trust" (published in AI and Ethics), develops a comprehensive framework for informed consent in the use of AI-assisted data. Schweiger advocates a relational approach that takes adolescents seriously within their social contexts and views trust as a key prerequisite for the ethical use of such technologies. Only through transparent communication and participatory processes can an ethically responsible handling of sensitive health data be ensured.

Both publications make it clear: the use of AI in adolescent mental healthcare requires not only technological but also ethical innovation - and a fundamental rethinking of what responsibility, understanding, and participation mean in a digitalized health landscape.