To open the discussion, Professor Brigitte Khoury, clinical psychologist at the American University of Beirut and Director of the Arab Regional Centre for Mental Health Research and Training, recalled a founding principle: mental health is not a domain separate from physical health, but its natural extension. It directly influences and shapes emotional regulation, the quality of social relationships, academic achievement and, in turn, physical health itself. In a world where social media, video games and online discussion spaces occupy a structural place in adolescents’ lives, this observation takes on a new dimension: the digital environment has become a world in its own right, within which a significant part of young people’s mental equilibrium is at stake.
Professor Ariel Lindner, Research Director at Inserm and Université Sorbonne Paris Cité, co-founder of the Learning Planet Institute and the LISA association, extended this reflection by highlighting the potential benefits of digital technology: learning, creativity and social connection. He nonetheless drew attention to a central tension: digital environments have been designed according to an essentially commercial logic, with architectural mechanisms intended to maximise time spent online rather than to protect the well-being of their users.