Attention under pressure – the brain in our digital everyday lives
How digital media affects our brain and our attention
From an early age, we learn to organize and connect the many impressions around us. Our brains learn through experience to direct our attention specifically to those things that are important in a given situation. This allows us to learn with focus or to react quickly in critical situations.
This ability of our brain has developed over the course of evolution through interactions with the real world. But today, our environment is different: it is shaped by a digital daily life filled with social media, short messages, videos and games. What does this mean for our attention, our learning and brain development – especially for children and adolescents?
At the Science Café, experts will provide insights into the latest research findings. Join us to discuss the opportunities and risks of digital media.
Prof. Dr Daniel Süss
Professor of Media Socialization and Media Literacy, Institute of Communication Studies and Media Research, UZH
Professor of Media Psychology and Head of the Institute for People, Society & Technology, ZHAW
Johanna A. Nieweler
Physician
PhD Student, Institute for Brain Research and URPP AdaBD, UZH
Prof. Dr. med. Dipl. Psych. Susanne Walitza
Clinic Director, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Psychiatric Hospital Zurich
Moderator:
Prof. Dr. Moritz Daum
Professor of Developmental Psychology: Infancy and Childhood, Department of Psychology and Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, UZH
Other events by the URPP Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning at Scientifica:
Workshop: Gain a Better Understanding of Autism
Saturday, 29. August 2026, 14.00; 15.00; 16.00
Sunday, 30. August 2026, 14.00; 15.00; 16.00
Booth: Sensory Worlds in the Brain
Saturday, 29. August 2026, Zentrum
Sunday, 30. August 2026, Zentrum
Attention under pressure – the brain in our digital everyday lives
August 29 @ 16:00 - 17:00
From an early age, we learn to organize and connect the many impressions around us. Our brains learn through experience to direct our attention specifically to those things that are important in a given situation. This allows us to learn with focus or to react quickly in critical situations.
This ability of our brain has developed over the course of evolution through interactions with the real world. But today, our environment is different: it is shaped by a digital daily life filled with social media, short messages, videos and games. What does this mean for our attention, our learning and brain development – especially for children and adolescents?
At the Science Café, experts will provide insights into the latest research findings. Join us to discuss the opportunities and risks of digital media.
Prof. Dr Daniel Süss
Professor of Media Socialization and Media Literacy, Institute of Communication Studies and Media Research, UZH
Professor of Media Psychology and Head of the Institute for People, Society & Technology, ZHAW
Johanna A. Nieweler
Physician
PhD Student, Institute for Brain Research and URPP AdaBD, UZH
Prof. Dr. med. Dipl. Psych. Susanne Walitza
Clinic Director, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Psychiatric Hospital Zurich
Moderator:
Prof. Dr. Moritz Daum
Professor of Developmental Psychology: Infancy and Childhood, Department of Psychology and Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, UZH
Other events by the URPP Adaptive Brain Circuits in Development and Learning at Scientifica:
Workshop: Gain a Better Understanding of Autism
Saturday, 29. August 2026, 14.00; 15.00; 16.00
Sunday, 30. August 2026, 14.00; 15.00; 16.00
Booth: Sensory Worlds in the Brain
Saturday, 29. August 2026, Zentrum
Sunday, 30. August 2026, Zentrum
