Youth, Artificial Intelligence and Mental Health

Adolescents today grow up in a world where algorithms no longer merely disseminate information: they influence attention, emotions, social relationships and how we perceive reality.

Through social media, infinite scroll and personalised recommendations, a new attention economy has emerged, in which intense emotions (fear, anger, comparison or the need for validation) have become levers for capture. The challenge therefore extends far beyond simple 'screen time': it touches on identity formation, the quality of family dialogue and our collective capacity to maintain a calm social conversation.

This conference provides accessible reference points for understanding how digital systems and artificial intelligence are already transforming behaviours, human relationships and mechanisms of trust, especially among adolescents.

Without guilt or alarmist discourse, it invites us to develop a more conscious and critical digital culture, in order to preserve attention, human connection and autonomy in an environment designed to influence our choices and our emotions.

Intended for parents, professionals, educational and community actors, this intervention is part of a preventive, dialogue and civic reflection approach around the great human and social issues of contemporary digital life.