The rapid integration of smartphones and digital devices into adolescents' lives raises concerns about excessive screen time and its negative impacts. The COVID-19 pandemic has further complicated these issues by shifting education from traditional classrooms to digital platforms, leading to increased screen exposure, social isolation, disrupted routines, and emotional stress for students and teachers. Educational stakeholders now face the challenge of balancing essential digital access with strategies to protect young people's cognitive, emotional, and academic wellbeing. Digital wellbeing, defined as maintaining an optimal balance between the advantages and potential risks of digital technology use, has emerged as a crucial focus within education.

To understand its dynamics, a comprehensive review was conducted on the impacts of digital tools in educational settings, emphasising digital wellbeing, technostress, and the interplay between digital competence and student performance. By systematically analysing recent research, the study identifies both positive effects, such as enhanced engagement, motivation, and digital literacy, and negative consequences, including technostress, cognitive overload, and emotional fatigue. The concept of digital wellbeing is explored as achieving an optimal balance between harnessing educational benefits from digital engagement and mitigating risks and stressors associated with extensive device use.

Furthermore, the research highlights significant factors affecting digital wellbeing, including individual-specific factors (digital literacy, screen-time management, and self-regulation), context-specific factors (institutional policies and pedagogical practices), and device-specific factors (ergonomic design, interface usability). The results indicate that despite increasing awareness, significant gaps remain in effectively integrating digital wellbeing principles into school environments and policies. Existing policies often lack coherence or comprehensive strategies, particularly regarding the combined psychological impacts of digital tools. Additionally, the study identifies an urgent need for systematic teacher training and policy support to better equip educators in managing their digital stress and guiding students in balancing their digital lives effectively.

Therefore, the study recommends future research and policy development focusing on long-term evaluations of digital wellbeing interventions, the development of holistic, culturally responsive frameworks, and balanced integration of digital and socio-emotional learning strategies. Addressing these gaps can create educational environments that significantly enhance student wellbeing, digital competence, and academic performance.

Keywords: Digital wellbeing, Technostress, Digital literacy, Student outcomes, Educational technologies, Socio-emotional learning, Educational policy, Screen time management.