Select Committee · Science and Technology Committee (Commons)
Neuroscience and digital childhoods
Status: Open
Opened: 24 Mar 2026
Inquiry scope
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.Oral evidence sessions
On smaller screens, scroll horizontally to read every column. Keyboard users can focus the table region and use the arrow keys.
| Date | Session and witnesses | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Jun 2026 |
Neuroscience and digital childhoods
Bernadka Dubicka · Royal College of Psychiatrists,
Colette Collins-Walsh · 5Rights Foundation,
Damon de Ionno · Revealing Reality,
Ravi Iyer · University of Southern California
|
View ↗ |
| 10 Jun 2026 |
Neuroscience and digital childhoods
Dr Dusana Dorjee · University of York,
Professor Denis Mareschal · Birkbeck, University of London,
Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore · University of Cambridge
|
View ↗ |
Who gave evidence
On smaller screens, scroll horizontally to read every column. Keyboard users can focus the table region and use the arrow keys.
| Witness | Organisation | Sessions |
|---|---|---|
| Bernadka Dubicka · Chair of the Children and young people’s faculty | Royal College of Psychiatrists | 1 |
| Colette Collins-Walsh · Head of UKAffairs | 5Rights Foundation | 1 |
| Damon de Ionno · Managing Director | Revealing Reality | 1 |
| Dr Dusana Dorjee · Senior Lecturer Psychology in Education | University of York | 1 |
| Professor Denis Mareschal · Professor of Psychology | Birkbeck, University of London | 1 |
| Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore · Professor of Psychology | University of Cambridge | 1 |
| Ravi Iyer · Managing Director of the Psychology of Technology Institute | University of Southern California | 1 |