The project "Happiness2.0: Social media use and teenagers' well being" kicks off
Institutional Communication Service
20 February 2024
The Happiness2.0 project is aimed at offering science-based communication activities to adolescents aged between 14 to 18 in Ticino, as well as parents and other stakeholders. The project brings together a vast network of partners to discuss the impact of social media on adolescents' well-being over time, taking into account positive well-being indicators like happiness, as well as developmental processes such as personality formation and the need for social connections.
The project will take place under the guidance of Dr Laura Marciano of Harvard University, Dr Silvia Misiti of IBSA Foundation for Scientific Research and Prof. Peter J. Schulz of Università della Svizzera italiana.
There will be a two-week two-hour workshop, "HappyLab", combining science and art. This will be followed by a "HappyApero", during which the teenagers will talk to experts, parents and adults. Finally, during the "HappyTable", stakeholders, teachers and high school headmasters will be invited to reflect on their activities in 2024 and to launch the Happiness2.0 project for 2025.
Happiness2.0 is a project financed by the Swiss National Science Foundation thanks to the Rolling Agora programme, which aims to translate the results of scientific research (in particular the HappyB project) into practical activities, using the combination of art and science. The activities will take place at Casa Carlo Cattaneo, the IBSA Foundation's headquarters for scientific research, and at Università della Svizzera italiana (USI). Around 400 high school students, parents and teachers will take part in the project. The project duration is 1 year (2024-2025). Happiness2.0 has been funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the IBSA Foundation for Scientific Research. The project is carried out in collaboration with Università della Svizzera italiana and the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston (USA).
More information is available on the project page https://www.ibsafoundation.org/it/happiness2.0-2024.
