28th IACAPAP Lunch & Learn Webinar
Wednesday, March 18th, 2025
1:00 PM CET | 8:00 AM EDT | 12:00 PM UTC
Note: This webinar has been scheduled to accommodate the European time zone.
Topic: Social Media Use and Cyber Mobbing in Young People
In an increasingly digital everyday life, social media and virtual communication have become central to the experiences of children and adolescents—and thus to clinical child and adolescent psychiatry and psychotherapy. Digital environments offer opportunities for connection and self-expression, yet they also introduce new risks that interact with traditional forms of stress, such as bullying.
This webinar presents current research on bullying and cyberbullying, including findings from a recent meta-analysis showing robust associations with youth mental health. A particular focus is placed on the role of intra- and interpersonal emotion regulation, which appears to influence vulnerability and offers promising targets for prevention and intervention.
We further discuss emerging evidence on social media use in clinically vulnerable youth. Adolescents with psychiatric disorders often engage differently with digital content, and new data from a high-risk clinical sample show intensive daily use and frequent exposure to mental illness, self-injury, and suicidality content. Complementary global data on SSRI-related TikTok posts reveal how health information spreads widely through heterogeneous, user-generated videos.
Together, these findings underscore that the clinical relevance of digital media lies less in overall screen time and more in specific patterns of engagement, content exposure, and individual vulnerability. Building on this evidence, the webinar outlines future analytical directions—including cultural influences, early adverse experiences, and lifestyle-related factors—that may further clarify risk and resilience in digital contexts. Clinically, these insights highlight the importance of routinely assessing adolescents’ online experiences, encouraging digital literacy, and addressing problematic or high-risk content use within therapeutic settings. Such approaches may help clinicians better identify vulnerable youth, tailor interventions, and support safer, more adaptive engagement with digital environments.
Chairperson
Maite Ferrin, MD, PhD
Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
Honorary Clinical Lecturer
United Kingdom
Speaker
Anna Kaiser, PhD, M. Sc. Psychology
Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology, University of Freiburg (Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg)
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
Central Institute of Mental Health
Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg
Germany
Dr. Anna Kaiser is a psychologist and, since October 1st, 2025, Acting Professor for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy in Childhood and Adolescence at the Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg. She further holds a Postdoctoral Researcher position at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy at Ulm University Hospital and is a Visiting Scholar at the Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) in Mannheim.
After completing her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Psychology at the University of Mannheim, she obtained her PhD (summa cum laude, 2021) on the neurobiological correlates of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and impulsivity under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Daniel Brandeis.
Her research focuses on deep phenotyping and neurobiological mechanisms underlying developmental psychiatric disorders (particularly ADHD and autism spectrum disorders), as well as transdiagnostic constructs such as impulsivity, emotional (dys)regulation, and aggression. Using multimodal neuroimaging (EEG/MEG/fMRI), psychophysiological assessments, and ecological momentary assessment, she investigates stress and coping processes in everyday life. A central aim of her work is the exploration of individual therapy response within personalized, non-pharmacological treatment frameworks (e.g., neurofeedback), with the overarching goal of improving care and prevention for young people.
Dr. Kaiser is a member of several national and international research consortia (including ESCAlife, AIMS-2-TRIALS, SFB/TRR 379, Eunethydis/EAGG) and an Early Career Scientist Member of the German Center for Mental Health (DZPG). Her work has been published in leading international journals (h-index: 11).
Dr. Med. Konstantin Mechler
Senior Physician
Co-Head of the Research Group Pediatric Psychopharmacology
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
Central Institute of Mental Health
Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg
Germany
Dr. Anna Kaiser is a psychologist and, since October 1st, 2025, Acting Professor for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy in Childhood and Adolescence at the Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg. She further holds a Postdoctoral Researcher position at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychotherapy at Ulm University Hospital and is a Visiting Scholar at the Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) in Mannheim.
After completing her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Psychology at the University of Mannheim, she obtained her PhD (summa cum laude, 2021) on the neurobiological correlates of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and impulsivity under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Daniel Brandeis.
Her research focuses on deep phenotyping and neurobiological mechanisms underlying developmental psychiatric disorders (particularly ADHD and autism spectrum disorders), as well as transdiagnostic constructs such as impulsivity, emotional (dys)regulation, and aggression. Using multimodal neuroimaging (EEG/MEG/fMRI), psychophysiological assessments, and ecological momentary assessment, she investigates stress and coping processes in everyday life. A central aim of her work is the exploration of individual therapy response within personalized, non-pharmacological treatment frameworks (e.g., neurofeedback), with the overarching goal of improving care and prevention for young people.
Dr. Kaiser is a member of several national and international research consortia (including ESCAlife, AIMS-2-TRIALS, SFB/TRR 379, Eunethydis/EAGG) and an Early Career Scientist Member of the German Center for Mental Health (DZPG). Her work has been published in leading international journals (h-index: 11).
Important Note
1. The IACAPAP webinar will be held at different times to accommodate attendees and members from various regions. The 28th IACAPAP Lunch & Learn Webinar is scheduled to cater to the Europe region's time zone.
2. The webinar is open to the public.
3. This webinar will be conducted virtually via Zoom. There is no cost to attend, but registration is required in advance. Seats are limited, and it's based on a first-come, first served. After registration, a copy of the webinar registration confirmation email will be sent. By registering for a webinar, consent is given for application details to be provided to IACAPAP for webinar preparation.
4. The E-certificate of participation will be provided to those IACAPAP members who have attended the webinar online and completed the survey at the end of the webinar. The survey will be displayed in the browser ONLY after the webinar has ended.
5. IACAPAP reserves the right at all times to change, amend, add or remove any of the terms without prior notice.
6. IACAPAP reserves the right to make alternation to the webinar program at any time.
