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Call for papersPaediatrics and mental health

Call for Papers: Impacts of social media and digital technologies on children and adolescents (BMC Medicine)

BMC Medicine’s collection on the impacts of social media and digital technologies on children and adolescents concerns the effects of social media and digital technology on younger populations. This guide outlines topic areas consistent with that scope, fit checks, possible paper ideas and points authors should confirm before submitting.

Pubrica InsightsEditorial team, reviewed by a subject specialist
Deadline
8 February 2027
Last checked
10 November 2026
Reading time
5 min
Sources
1
Submit through the official call

Key dates

Manuscript deadline
8 February 2027
Details last checked
10 November 2026
Open the official call

About the journal

Journal
BMC Medicine
Publisher
BMC, part of Springer Nature
Call type
Call for papers
Scope
Effects of social media and digital technology on younger populations.
Guest editors
Listed on the official collection page
Access and fees
Open access; an article processing charge normally applies on acceptance
Originality
Original work, not under review elsewhere; confirm on the official page

Topics consistent with the call

  • Observational studies of social media use and mental health in adolescents
  • Effects of screen time and digital device use on sleep in children
  • Trials of interventions to reduce problematic digital technology use in young people
  • Studies examining online harms, cyberbullying and their health consequences for adolescents
  • Systematic reviews of digital technology exposure and physical or developmental outcomes
  • Mechanistic research on how digital engagement relates to wellbeing and behaviour

Based on the published scope; the full list of themes is on the official call page.

Is your work a fit? Check before you write

  1. The study population is children or adolescents, or the analysis reports results for these age groups.
  2. The exposure or intervention involves social media or another digital technology, clearly defined and measured.
  3. Outcomes are of clinical or public health relevance, in keeping with a general medical journal.
  4. The design addresses confounding and causal inference appropriately and follows the relevant reporting guideline.
  5. The work is complete, approved by all co-authors and ready to submit before the stated deadline.

Why This Call Is a Priority Now

Digital technologies and social media are part of everyday life for many children and adolescents, and families, clinicians, schools and policymakers are seeking reliable evidence on their effects. Research in this area is methodologically challenging, with debates about measurement of use, direction of effects and the balance of benefits and harms. A themed collection in a general medical journal gives authors a visible venue for rigorous studies and reviews, and allows readers to weigh findings from different designs and populations side by side.

Who Should Submit

Academic backgrounds

  • Paediatrics and adolescent medicine
  • Child and adolescent psychiatry and psychology
  • Epidemiology and public health
  • Digital health and media research
  • Developmental science

Institutions and sectors

  • Universities and research institutes
  • Children’s hospitals and paediatric services
  • Public health agencies
  • Child health and youth-focused non-profit organisations

Article types commonly published in BMC Medicine

  • Clinical trials and other interventional studies
  • Observational studies
  • Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
  • Translational and mechanistic research

What the Editors Typically Value

  1. Longitudinal or quasi-experimental designs that strengthen inference about effects over time.
  2. Objective or detailed measures of digital use that move beyond total screen time.
  3. Randomised or well-controlled evaluations of interventions aimed at young people or families.
  4. Evidence from diverse populations and settings that are under-represented in current research.

Paper Ideas You Could Develop

Cohort study of social media and sleepA longitudinal cohort analysis examining whether changes in night-time social media use predict later sleep problems and depressive symptoms in adolescents.
School-based digital wellbeing trialA cluster randomised trial of a school-based programme designed to reduce problematic smartphone use and its effects on attention and mood.
Review of digital exposure in early childhoodA systematic review and meta-analysis of digital device exposure in early childhood and language or developmental outcomes.

Your Plan to the Deadline

A suggested schedule working back from 8 February 2027. Adjust it to the stage your work has reached.

  1. By 25 Dec 2026

    Open the official collection page and the BMC Medicine submission guidelines; confirm the scope, article types and guest editors.

  2. By 8 Jan 2027

    Write a one-paragraph statement of your research question, design and the contribution your paper makes to the collection.

  3. By 18 Jan 2027

    Complete the analysis and agree the key findings, figures and tables with your co-authors.

  4. By 29 Jan 2027

    Draft the full manuscript to the BMC Medicine article type and the relevant reporting guideline.

  5. By 3 Feb 2027

    Circulate the draft to co-authors and an independent reader; revise for clarity, accuracy and completeness.

  6. By 6 Feb 2027

    Complete final checks: formatting, references, declarations, data availability statement and cover letter.

  7. By 8 Feb 2027

    Submit through the journal’s online system, selecting the collection, after re-checking the official call page.

What you gain from publishing here

  • Publication in BMC Medicine, reaching readers working on this topic.
  • A themed collection that groups your paper with related work.
  • Editorial and peer feedback that can strengthen the work, whatever the decision.
  • A peer-reviewed output for your CV, thesis or grant reporting.

What happens after you submit

  1. Submission: upload through the BMC Medicine online system and select the collection.
  2. Editorial screening: the editors check fit with the collection; papers outside its scope may be returned without review.
  3. Peer review: suitable papers are sent to reviewers under the journal’s review model.
  4. Revision and decision: respond to each reviewer comment and keep a record of the changes.
  5. Production: accepted papers move to proofs and open access publication, with the article processing charge set out by the publisher.

What the Collection Is Looking For

The collection seeks research on how social media and digital technologies affect the health of children and adolescents. Consistent with BMC Medicine’s remit, suitable work is likely to include observational studies, clinical trials and other interventions, systematic reviews and translational research of broad clinical or public health relevance. Studies with careful exposure measurement, appropriate handling of confounding and clear implications for practice or policy are likely to fit best.

Read the call itselfThis guide summarises the call. Open the official collection page before you plan a submission, and record the date you checked it and the guest editors listed.Open the official call

Expert help

How Pubrica Can Help With This Submission

Pubrica’s subject specialists can review, write, edit, format and prepare your manuscript for this call, planned back from the deadline. You remain the author of your work.

Original research article writingManuscript writing from your data, structured to the journal’s article type and reporting guideline. Biostatistics and statistical programmingStatistical analysis plans, analysis, simulation code and statistical review of results. Systematic reviewProtocol, screening, data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment for review articles. Journal formattingFormatting of the manuscript, references, figures and tables to the journal’s guidelines. Cover letterA cover letter that explains how the manuscript fits the collection and the journal’s scope. Journal submissionPreparation of submission files and completion of the journal’s online submission system.
Go to the official call

FAQs

Questions Authors Ask

The published deadline is 8 February 2027. Collections can close early or be extended, so confirm the date on the official call page before you plan your submission.

The guest editors are listed on the official collection page. Check their research interests, as they help to judge whether your manuscript fits the collection.

A cross-sectional study may be considered if it is well designed, clinically relevant and transparent about its limits for causal inference. The editors of a general medical journal may favour designs that offer stronger evidence. Authors should confirm accepted article types on the official call page.

BMC journals publish articles open access, and an article processing charge normally applies on acceptance. Check the journal’s fees and funding page, and whether your institution has an agreement that covers the charge, before you submit.

Sources

  1. BMC Medicine. (2026). Impacts of social media and digital technologies on children and adolescents [Collection call for papers]. BMC, part of Springer Nature. Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://link.springer.com/collections/hiffacdhid

How to cite this page

Pubrica Insights. (2026). Call for Papers: Impacts of social media and digital technologies on children and adolescents (BMC Medicine). Pubrica. https://pubrica.com/insights/calls-and-conferences/impacts-of-social-media-and-digital-technologies-on-children-and-adole/

  • Social media
  • Digital technology
  • Adolescent health
  • Child health
  • Mental health
  • Screen time

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Impacts of social media and digital technologies on children and adolescents (BMC Medicine)Deadline 8 February 2027

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