Join the ‘Being Online’ art challenge
In our increasingly digital world, young people are constantly navigating identity, privacy and connection. A new digital gallery from DTH-Lab and the Global Mental Health Action Network invites young people to share creative expressions of their lived online experiences.
We are living in an age of unprecedented digital connection, where boundaries between offline and online worlds are increasingly blurred. It is imperative to understand how young people experience the online world and the constant negotiation of identities, privacy and connection that unfolds within it.
The online world is an important setting for health and well-being. Digital technologies and platforms offer opportunities for knowledge, connection and self-expression. At the same time, digital environments can expose people to information, content and behaviours that are detrimental to their well-being. Finding a balance between these positive and negative impacts of digitalization is a challenge for individuals and society alike.
Announcing Being Online: a digital gallery
Running until March 2026, Being Online is a digital gallery by DTH-Lab in collaboration with Global Mental Health Action Network – Child & Youth Working Group. It will bring together creative expressions from young people about what it’s like to grow up and connect in digital environments and how it shapes their well-being.
DTH-Lab Executive Director, Aferdita Bytyqi said: “As the saying goes ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’. Visual storytelling can capture experiences and convey ideas in ways other mediums often cannot. From design and photography to illustrations , these approaches speak directly to young people. With that in mind, the gallery will serve as a participatory space where young people can share their realities and build a collective visual narrative of the digital age.”
Addressing the digital determinants of health
This initiative builds on DTH-Lab’s ongoing work to make young people’s digital well-being a global public health priority and to address the digital determinants of health: how digital technologies and online ecosystems influence health and well-being. By inviting creative expressions from young people, the gallery will highlight how digital shapes their lives and will help spark wider public conversation..
By curating a digital gallery with young artists’ work, DTH-Lab aims to:
Surface the impact of digital environments on young people’s emotional, mental, physical and social well-being.
Engage with young people through creative and visual mediums that move beyond technical jargon, creating an inclusive space where young people can critically and imaginatively explore what it means to grow up and live in digital environments.
Highlight the diversity of online experiences and facilitate inter-generational dialogue on what it means to grow up and connect in increasingly digital worlds.
Contribute to broader advocacy and dialogue by creating a lasting visual archive of young people’s online experiences through visual storytelling and providing insights that inform youth-centred policies.