While tech elites shield their own children from screens, Pakistan struggles without regulation, leaving a generation vulnerable to digital harm.
By Sara Ali
Read more: thefridaytimes.com/27-Mar-2026/...
#socialmediaban #Children #screenaddiction #Pakistan #digitalyouth #MentalHealth
As the West tightens controls on social media for children, Pakistan’s youth remain exposed to unchecked digital addiction and its lasting consequences.
By Sara Ali
Read more: www.thefridaytimes.com/27-Mar-2026/...
#socialmediaban #Children #screenaddiction #Pakistan #digitalyouth #MentalHealth
#DigitalYouth #Safety #764 #PlessasExperts #OSINT
w/ @kirbstr.bsky.social
Public & Free Plessas Experts Knowledge Portal recently dropped 764 resource reviews.
If you are an investigator examining online extremism or a trusted adult with youth safety, please stop by.
knowledgebase.plessas.net
Chris Hollis, Director of Mindtech and speaker in the conference, on stage to conclude the day.
Picture of a PowerPoint slide saying thank you to the people who ran the event
We have now reached the end of the #DigitalYouth conference!
A huge thank you to everyone who ran the event 😄
There are some really valuable projects going on and I can't wait to see what we can achieve next... 🥳
slide showing a summary of the keys to successfully taking digital interventions from research to practice
Cathy wraps up by reminding us of the keys to successfully bringing digital interventions from research to practice
An inspiring talk and we can learn a lot from the success of OSI!
🔗 Learn more from OSI’s example here doi.org/10.1111/camh...
#DigitalYouth
slide showing the self-referral pathway of Flikk, an online therapist supported CBT intervention that has just been rolled out nationally in Iceland
Innovation spotlight 🌍 Iceland rollout Flikk, a version of OSI (Online Support and Intervention for Children)
Quick screening, brief clinician call, then access to digital support.
Smart integration of digital & primary care
#DigitalYouth
slide showing four text boxes that list ways digital interventions can save money, including requiring less clinician time to enable more appointments, and being deliverable by a broader range of practitioners
“Aim for better, not just cheaper” - something thats really important to keep in mind when scaling digital interventions💰
A well-thought-out intervention might have higher initialcosts, but will lead to savings down the line when implemented in services
#DigitalYouth
Image of Cathy Creswell on stage delivering her keynote talk
The next step in moving interventions from research to practice? Evaluate them in the real world🌍
Cathy’s advice to researchers? Once in the real world, keep testing, listening, and improving. Scaling doesn’t mean stopping evaluation📊
#DigitalYouth
Building Digital Tool - drawing by Tom Bailey
Tom live drawing at the back of the conference room
Discussion drawings stuck up on the walls
Tom’s drawings from throughout the digital youth programme
Throughout the day, artist Tom Bailey has been live drawing discussions and conversations between the event delegates
Tom has been a key asset for the duration of the #DigitalYouth programme to visualise takeaways, thoughts and ideas in his fun comic style
Find him on Instagram, @ mrtombailey
slide showing speech bubbles with views from clinicians on OSI
We want these interventions to make clinicians jobs easier. They should result in less admin & easy outcome tracking.
One clinician said that with OSI “I can book more cases & be more flexible.”
Any clinicians reading, do you find digital interventions make your job easier? #DigitalYouth
Alt text: image showing the login page of OSI on a phone and laptop
Cathy says that successful digital interventions must meet clinicians, parents & young people where they are - not expect them to adapt to the tech.
Simple & flexible interventions work best. Parents loved being able to “do a module while washing dishes” or “log in at midnight.” #DigitalYouth
OSI is a digital, therapist-supported, parent-led CBT intervention for anxiety in young people that is now being commissioned in mental health services in England
This is a great example of how digital interventions can transition from research to practice #DigitalYouth
doi.org/10.2196/29846
🗣️ Cathy starts with a strong message: digital psychological interventions can address treatment gaps when demand exceeds clinical resource.
They require less therapist time, offer treatment outside the clinic & flexibility for families that can improve treatment adherence. #DigitalYouth
Slide introducing Cathy Creswell’s talk, titled “Taking digital interventions for youth from research to practice”
Prof Cathy Creswell (@cathycreswell.bsky.social) from University of Oxford is delivering her keynote on ‘Taking digital interventions for youth from research to practice’
How can we learn from the success of OSI (Online Support & Intervention for Children)?
Let’s dive in 👇 #DigitalYouth
graph showing the ‘valley of death’, with gaps between investment, support and getting interventions into the real world
Big take-away: To turn mental-health research into everyday impact, bridging the gap between academia, the NHS & industry is vital.
MindTech Bridge is one promising route
#DigitalYouth
How is the MindTech Bridge going to do this? 💡
By building a network that connects researchers, lived experience experts, innovators, investors and healthcare leaders to test ideas and drive impact
#DigitalYouth
The MindTech Bridge initiative has four priorities:
• Accelerate NHS adoption
• Build sustainable funding & support models
• Scale globally
• Power decisions with live data linking NHS demand with R&D supply
#DigitalYouth
MindTech Bridge is a new initiative that aims to close the gap between world-class digital mental health research, healthcare adoption, and sustainable investment.
🔗 mindtech.org.uk/news-events/...
#DigitalYouth
Bridging the valley of death’- networking, angel investors and everything next steps 👌🏽 #digitalyouth
"We need a market to encourage innovation in clinical settings" 💡 says Barnaby
#DigitalYouth
Barnaby Perks says "It's amazing how much life there is in the valley of death" - lots of brilliant research is achieving great things, but there is not enough money for implementation
Why does this happen? Is it due to the gap between research funding and venture funding? #DigitalYouth
Image showing academics, industry partners and clinicians on a stage hosting a panel discussion
Prof Ed Watkins has worked to develop several effective digital interventions 📱
But, the process of these interventions getting to those who need them can stall, when research funding runs out before commercialisation and implementation can happen 📊
#DigitalYouth
Image of a bridge over a ravine with a waterfall
This afternoon we’ll focus on moving research to implementation. In other words “bridging the valley of death”.
First up we have a panel discussion with Prof Chris Hollis, Prof Ed Watkins, Robert Higginson, Barnaby Perks and Dr Aaron Kandola #DigitalYouth
Easels displaying images from successful projects
Worksheet showing principles of engagement for partnerships
A variety of interactive workshops are currently taking place at the #DigitalYouth event
Exploring topics such as: building industry partnerships, creative approaches to research and PPI, using insights from datasets and challenges and solutions to designing and implementing digital platforms
Our friends @nihrmindtech.bsky.social are co-hosting the Digital Youth conference in London today.
Read the Digital Youth Programme Report in full: digitalyouth.ac.uk/dypr/
Follow along with #DigitalYouth
This afternoon we’ll be taking part in a variety of workshops! Including “Building Effective Industry Partnerships” 👥
#DigitalYouth
Picture of Amy Orben
You can also learn more about the amazing work that Amy Orben is doing by checking out her website! #DigitalYouth
amyorben.com
To learn more, click on the following link to access the research paper.
www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...
#DigitalYouth
