Committees

Neuroscience and digital childhoods

Inquiry

Exposure to digital technologies is an everyday experience for children, in how they play, learn, and connect with their families, friends and wider society. This exposure results in a complex picture of benefits and risks related to children’s physical and cognitive development and physical and mental health. There is a lot of data about device use and online habits but how the use of a wide range of digital devices affects development in childhood and adolescence is less clear.

The Science, Innovation and Technology Committee is launching an inquiry into neuroscience and digital childhoods to examine the impact of digital devices on brain development, as well as physical impacts, the differences between devices and uses, and the differing impacts on those of different ages and from different backgrounds.

 

This inquiry is no longer accepting evidence

The deadline for submissions was 11:59pm on 10 May 2026.

Upcoming events

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Tuesday 3 November 2026
9:00am Private
9:30am Public
Neuroscience and digital childhoods - Oral evidence 3 November 2026
9:30am
  • Rt Hon Ian Murray MP (Minister for Creative Industries, Media and Online Safety at Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS))
  • Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson MP (Minister for Public Health and Patient Safety at Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC))
  • Paul Waugh MP (Minister for Early Education at Department for Education)
TBC

Past events

Wednesday 24 June 2026
9:00am Private
9:30am Public
Neuroscience and digital childhoods - Oral evidence 24 June 2026
9:30am
  • Ravi Iyer (Managing Director of the Psychology of Technology Institute at University of Southern California)
10:00am
  • Damon de Ionno (Managing Director at Revealing Reality)
  • Bernadka Dubicka (Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at University of York)
  • Colette Collins-Walsh (Head of UKAffairs at 5Rights Foundation)
Room 6, Palace of Westminster
Wednesday 10 June 2026
9:00am Private
9:40am Public
Neuroscience and digital childhoods - Oral evidence 10 June 2026
9:40am
  • Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore (Professor of Psychology at University of Cambridge)
  • Dr Dusana Dorjee (Senior Lecturer Psychology in Education at University of York)
  • Professor Denis Mareschal (Professor of Psychology at Birkbeck, University of London)
Room 8, Palace of Westminster

Contact us

We receive a significant number of emails each day. All requests and invitations are considered but we do not respond directly to everyone. Please be aware, the committee does not look at individual cases or specific complaints.