4790 - UNESCO Report: Ethical Considerations for Youth Mental Health in the Digital Environment

Session: 4790 - UNESCO REPORT: ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS ON YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH IN THE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT
AUTHORS:
Khoury Brigitte (IUPsyS President-Elect ~ Beirut ~ Lebanon) , Feinholz Dafna (Director of the A.I. Division of Research, Ethics and Inclusion and Chief of Section for Bioethics and Ethics of Science and Technology at UNESC) , Carrizo Luis (IUPsyS Executive Committee, Consultant at the UNESCO Montevideo Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean; Coordinator of the UNESCO Chair on Social Transformations and Human Condition) , Borst Grégoire (IUPsyS Executive Committee, Professor of Developmental Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience of Education (Université Paris Cité))
Abstract text:
Children and adolescents are the most digitally connected population globally, with 79% of youth aged 15-24 using the Internet, substantially higher than the general population. As digital environments increasingly shape young people's daily lives, they offer significant opportunities for education, social connection, and access to mental health resources, while also introducing risks such as cyberbullying, harmful content exposure, addictive use patterns, and the amplification of self-destructive behaviours. This roundtable convenes global scholars and experts from diverse regions and disciplines to engage with the UNESCO International Bioethics Committee (IBC) Report on Ethical Considerations for Youth Mental Health in the Digital Environment. The report advances current discourse through a human rights and bioethical framework, moving beyond risk-benefit analyses to critically examine the responsibilities of adults, institutions, and systems to act in the best interests of children and adolescents. The session will be structured around key thematic domains of the report, with invited contributors offering brief, focused inputs on areas such as ethical governance, digital safety, autonomy and protection, and the role of technology platforms. These contributions will serve as a foundation for an integrative, moderated discussion among global scholars addressing shared challenges and context-specific considerations. Particular attention will be given to inequities in digital access and the disproportionate impact of technology-facilitated gender-based violence, highlighting the heterogeneous effects of digital environments across socio-demographic contexts. The roundtable aims to generate actionable, globally informed insights on "safety-by-design," digital literacy, and ethical policy frameworks, contributing to the development of inclusive, rights-based digital ecosystems that support youth mental health worldwide.