Eth-Mud (Ethics Muda/Young Ethics): Young People’s Perspectives on The Ethics of Digital Mental Health in Indonesia

Mental health problems are a major cause of disability and economic burden globally, yet often overlooked, leading to inadequate care, insufficient access and treatment gaps, especially in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). The integration of digital tools in mental healthcare has demonstrated potential in improving access to care in LMICs, including in Indonesia, making it a critical and urgently needed approach,. On the other hand, scholars have also warned about some ethical concerns that must be addressed, including how these tools may disproportionately shift responsibility of care towards the users.

This is an empirical bioethics project that aims to examine the ethics of digital mental health interventions from the perspectives of young people, particularly on the aspect of responsibility. It will employ qualitative methodology in the form of focus group discussions engaging young people across in Indonesia, combined with theoretical/ethical analysis methods. The study also incorporates a participatory approach through the involvement of nine members of a Young People Advisory Group (YPAG) specifically recruited for this project.

For the empirical part of the project, data will be collected through focus group discussions (FGDs) with participants, who in this case are young people aged 17-24 from two sites in Indonesia—Jakarta and Yogyakarta—which are regions with the highest digital device ownership in the country.The FGDs will explore their perceptions and views regarding the deployment of digital mental health tools, with a specific focus on its relation to personal responsibility for mental health. The theoretical part of the study will engage with the wider philosophical, ethical, and sociopolitical literature regarding responsibility. It will also systematically look at current evidence and normative discussions in publications pertaining to responsibility in digital health implementation.