ECAT Research Workshop 2025

1. 12 Nov 2025, 08:30 - 09:00 (CET)

   Registration and coffee
2. 09:00 - 09:10 (CET)

   Welcome

   Alberto Pena Fernández, Head of ECAT

3. 09:10 - 09:40 (CET)

   Young lives online: Views from the classroom

   To anchor the day’s discussions in the lived experiences of young people, this first session will be dedicated to the insights of young students from the Seville International School. They will present findings from a survey study conducted within their school on the use and impact of online platforms on them and their classmates.   

4. 09:40 - 10:00 (CET)

   ECAT & minor protection: Insights and contributions

   In this presentation, participants will hear about ECAT’s work related to the mental and physical health of minors. ECAT will share what the focus has been in the over two years of the team’s operations, as well as what are the current top priorities for research and policy support.   

   Presentation by Dr Yves Punie, Deputy Head of ECAT

5. 10:00 - 11:00 (CET)

   A captive audience? Social media addiction and the features that make it hard for children to leave

   In this panel discussion, experts on cognitive development, platform design and addiction will discuss what we know about social media addiction and the impact of extended digital media use on young people.  

   We will get the chance to hear how social media compares to other addictions, what overuse does to adolescents’ sleep patterns, and what makes minors a particularly vulnerable audience.  

   The session will also offer a chance to discuss which platform features can exacerbate addictive behaviours, as well as the types of interventions, by platforms, individuals or regulation, that may be most effective in preventing addiction from taking hold.   

   Panellists:

   • Dr Alberto Monge Roffarello, Assistant Professor, Politecnico di Torino 
   • Dr Susanne Baumgartner, Assistant Professor, University of Amsterdam 
   • Dr Elisa Benedetti, Researcher, Laboratory of Epidemiology, Institute of Clinical Physiology, Italian National Research Council 

   Chair: Dr Astrid Bertrand, Scientific Officer, ECAT

6. 11:00 - 11:45 (CET)

   Poster session (coffee break)
7. 11:45 - 12:30 (CET)

   Paper presentations

   During this session, a selection of the successful submissions to the workshop’s Call for Contributions will present their research. Participants will have the opportunity to explore the insights further in the dedicated poster sessions.

   Presentations:

   • Megan Nyhan (University College Dublin), Algorithmic Transparency: The EU Digital Services Act and Young People’s Experiences of Online Platforms  
   • Professor Lisa Henderson (University of York),  Waking up to Smartphones: Towards Evidence Based Solutions 
   • Maike Resing (Landesanstalt fur Medien NRW), Systemic risks to minors on online platforms: evidence from three studies by Landesanstalt fur Medien NRW  
8. 12:30 - 13:30 (CET)

   Communities of pain: Use of social media by youth at risk of eating disorders and self-harm

   Many young people spend several hours every day on online platforms, consuming and sharing content related to their moods, feelings about their bodies and their close relationships. For the most vulnerable, this may both work as an essential place of support and as a source of exacerbation of negative emotions. 

   In this session, we will discuss with experts how the online lives of vulnerable minors can affect them positively and negatively, and how risks can be effectively mitigated. We will also look into whether at-risk youth can be identified based on their online behaviour, and how this could be utilised to provide timely support. 
   
   Panellists:

   • Dr Florian Arendt, Assistant Professor, University of Vienna
   • Lotte Rubæk, Team Leader, Suicide Prevention and Self-harm, Capital Region of Denmark
   • Dr Diana Ramírez-Cifuentes, Senior Data Scientist and Researcher, CVC - UAB and Trilateral Research 

   Chair: Dr Emilia Gómez, Team lead, ECAT

9. 13:30 - 15:00 (CET)

   Lunch
10. 15:00 - 15:30 (CET)

    Agentic AI: Risks and opportunities for young people

    AI chatbots that are simulating personal relationships, or so-called AI companions, are growing in popularity. This has raised concerns, particularly when it comes to children: will it discourage children from making ‘real’ friends, expose them to more inappropriate conversations and provide dangerous advice? 

    This keynote will explore these risks, ask what type of opportunities AI companions could bring, and discuss how we can ensure the technology is safe for children.  
    
    Keynote speaker:

    • Professor Nicole Krämer, Full Professor of Social Psychology, Media and Communication, University of Duisberg-Essen  
11. 15:30 - 16:00 (CET)

    Paper presentations

    During this session, a selection of the successful submissions to the workshop’s Call for Contributions will present their research. Participants will have the opportunity to explore the insights further in the dedicated poster sessions. 
    
    Presentations:

    • Dr Urbano Reviglio (European University Institute), From Doomscrolling to Brainrotting: How VLOPs Undermine Autonomy and Civic Discourse through Dysfunctional Engagement? 
    • Professor Elisabeth Staksrud (University of Oslo), European regulatory principles for a safe Internet for children compared with the perspectives and experiences of children and youth with mental health difficulties  
12. 16:00 - 16:30 (CET)

    Poster session (coffee break)
13. 16:30 - 17:30 (CET)

    Online influence on young people: Gender-based challenges and inequalities

    Certain popular accounts on major online platforms are associated with communities that share toxic and discriminatory content against women. Their impact on young people has drawn increasing attention, following for instance, the Netflix series ‘Adolescence’ which portrayed a case where a young boy committed murder after exposure to communities expressing hostility toward women. 

    This panel will explore what research reveals about these online spaces: how they build audiences, which young people are most susceptible to their messaging, and what effects they may have on users, their communities and on society. 
    
    Panellists:

    • Professor Harriet Over, Deputy Head of Department - Research, University of York
    • Dr Nicola Righetti, Assistant Professor, University of Urbino Carlo Bo
    • Dr Craig Haslop, Senior Lecturer in Media, University of Liverpool 

    Chair: Emilie Sundorph, Project Officer, ECAT

14. 17:30 - 17:35 (CET)

    Closing remarks

    Alberto Pena Fernández, Head of ECAT

15. Show 9 more items
16. 17:35 - 18:30 (CET)

    Networking reception

Practical information