Digital Media and Attention: A Scoping Review of Experimental Methods, Theories, and Evidence

Our capacity for attention is increasingly outpaced by the volume of information that is available through digital media, contributing to widespread concern that digital media use might compromise our ability to focus. We conducted a scoping review of experimental and quasi-experimental studies to map what the causal evidence on digital media and attention actually tests, investigating the study designs used (RQ1), the exposures, outcomes, and populations studied (RQ2), the operationalizations and theoretical frameworks employed (RQ3), the mediators and moderators assessed (RQ4), and points of convergence or divergence across studies. Across 94 papers (110 studies; Ntotal = 12,054), we found a heterogenous and diverging field. Most experiments assess immediate performance changes under additional stimulation (e.g., dual-task interference or device presence), whereas relatively few study sustained changes in attentional functioning. Many observed effects therefore reflect general multitasking costs rather than mechanisms unique to digital media. At the same time, different research traditions target different attentional components and implicitly test different mechanisms, making results difficult to integrate. Consequently, conclusions about digital media and attention depend strongly on how digital media use and attention are operationalized. Overall, we argue that the field has devoted limited attention to the central question motivating public concern: whether everyday digital media use produces enduring changes in attentional functioning. Progress will require a mechanism‑oriented, ecologically valid, and cumulative research that aligns theory, design, and temporal scope.