Opinion

Youth Mental Health: Are Our Children’s Minds Being Hijacked by Social Media?

The Exchange

PUBLISHED: APRIL, 2025

The Exchange: Essential dialogues on child rights

As part of The Exchange, our ongoing discussion series on the critical child rights topics of today, Global Child Forum shares a fascinating dialogue from the recent GSMA MWC event in Barcelona. This time we examine one of the most important and far-reaching developments of our time: social media. How does it impact young people?

Experts with backgrounds in children’s rights, youth advocacy and academia take a deep-dive into the dangers and advantages of social media platforms for the world’s youth.

Assessing whether technology and social media companies are living up to their responsibilities, the panel also shares a series of unique insights on the steps needed to secure a safer digital future for children and teenagers.

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  • Below you can find an edited version of the panel discussion.

Be part of the conversation

  • Contact the Global Child Forum team for guidance and advice on the important topics discussed here, and find out how we can support you on your child rights journey.
  • Interested in sharing your expertise within sustainability, child rights and business? We’re looking for interesting voices to take part in future editions of The Exchange – reach out to us here.
  • The Corporate Playbook: Embedding Children’s Rights in ESRS Reporting outlines how companies can integrate child rights into sustainability strategies, engaging children as stakeholders and prioritising safety in digital design. Access the guide today.

 

Meet the participants

Our expert line-up for The Exchange

Moderator - Carla Haddad Mardini

Director, Private Fundraising and Partnerships

UNICEF

Brittany Loor

U-Reporter, Youth Advocate, Ecuador

UNICEF

Andrew Przybylski

Professor of Human Behaviour and Technology

The University of Oxford

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Andrew K. Przybylski is the Professor of Human Behaviour and Technology at the University of Oxford. Professor Przybylski investigates how online social media and video games platforms shape human motivation and influence the health and well-being of their users. He is a frequent commentator on the effects of internet-based technology on our lives and works closely with national and global policymakers to empower users and independent scientists to address the most pressing questions of health and human development in the digital age. In acknowledgment of his scientific and policy achievements Professor Przybylski was recently appointed as an Honorary Professor at The Educational University of Hong Kong’s Centre for Psychosocial Health. His undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral degrees were earned at the University of Rochester in the United States. At Forum 2024, Professor Przybylski will be presenting during ActionLab 2: Children’s Rights & Wellbeing Online – a Business Imperative.

Nina Vollmer

Director Child Rights and Sustainability

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As the organisation’s senior expert, Nina conducts research and supports companies on how to improve their understanding of, and impact on children’s lives. She develops and works with the tools and services that Global Child Forum offers, including the Business Academy, Scorecard Feedback service, guidance and best practices. Nina also supports with content creation for events and communications. With responsibility for the methodology behind the Corporate Sector and Children’s Rights Benchmark, Nina is the appointed spokesperson for benchmark activities, and regularly speaks at key events and conferences. Nina holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Lund University (Sweden), and has worked both nationally and internationally with human rights and development within the NGO sector.
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The Exchange

What were
the findings?


The participants had some fascinating input when discussing the question: Are our children’s minds being hijacked by social media?

Click below to download the conversation in full, and find a useful summary of the key takeaways.

Nina Vollmer

Director of Child Rights and Sustainability

The Exchange

Are our children’s minds being hijacked by social media?

We need stronger collaboration between companies, policymakers, and youth advocates. Right now, efforts are fragmented. Governments create policies without fully understanding platform design, businesses focus on compliance rather than meaningful change, and youth voices are missing.

Need some guidance?

Transparent reporting supports enhanced youth digital wellbeing

The Corporate Playbook

A practical guide to embedding children’s rights in ESRS reporting, developed with support from the LEGO Group

To The Corporate Playbook

Contact us

Linda Ravin Lodding

Head of Communications

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As the Head of Communications, Linda is responsible for bringing our work, and our message, to our stakeholders. She has a long career in communications both in the private and public sector working for UN-affiliated organisations such as The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation. Her public sector work is augmented by assignments in advertising, internet consulting and brand development. She holds an Undergraduate Degree from Barnard College, Columbia University and an MBA from the Stern School of Business, New York University. Linda joined Global Child Forum in 2015.
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Global Child Forum Initiative

Listen Up!

This edition of The Exchange calls for increased collaboration between Tech and Telecom companies, youth, and civil society. Together with our partners, Telia, Tele2, Orange and Vodafone, Global Child Forum is striving to make this happen with Listen Up! Advancing Digital Wellbeing for Children and Youth.

What’s this initiative about?

Learn more and sign-up

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