Annual Meeting 2025 in Basel

Registration Deadline: January 5th, 2025

Please note that the number of participants is limited. Registrations will be processed in the order they are received. The participation fee is payable after confirmation of registration.

Please note that we only accept PayPal payments from participants outside the country. All other participants are kindly requested to make payments via bank transfer.

You can view the conference agenda and detailed information about the contributions via your ConfTool account.

This year's meeting will be titled «Growing up in the digital Age» and will take place on January 21^st and 22^nd 2025 in Basel. The meeting will be jointly organized by the University of Basel, the Basel University Hospital for Children (UKBB) and the University Psychiatric Clinics (UPK) Basel.

The rapid technological advances during the last decades have strongly impacted our modern life. We are surrounded by digital devices that facilitate our daily routines, connect us to an ever increasing globalized social network, and offers limitless entertainment. Today, modern technology is also an essential part of family life. However, research suggests that excessive digital media use in children aged 0 to 5 years, and screen use in particular, might have a negative impact on child development, including language, cognitive, motor, and socioemotional delays. Thus, the omnipresence of digital devices has raised concerns among early childhood professionals, parents, and the general public. But how does growing up in an increasingly digital world shape child development? Are the concerns justified? What are good family digital media habits? What role does digitalization play in institutions? How can guidelines and recommendations be communicated effectively to parents, educational institutions, and communities? What other factors related to digital media use should be considered?

We are very pleased to have two experts as keynote speakers at the conference who will share their expertise on the potential impact of digital media use on children's wellbeing: 

Prof. Dr. Heather Kirkorian | School of Human Ecology | University of Wisconsin-Madison 

Prof. Dr. Katherine T. Cost | Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences | McMaster University 

We are delighted that our partner Alliance Enfance will once again host a session on knowledge transfer between science, practice, and policy. 

Date and Venue:

We would appreciate your assistance in widely distributing the conference program within your networks, and we look forward to seeing you in Basel!

Please also contact us via info@earlychildhoodresearch.ch with any questions you might have.

With kind regards on behalf of the Organizing Committee of the Annual Meeting