Reflecting on Adolescence, Algorithms and the Search for Coherence with Professor Alessandra Lemma
Date published: 22.06.2026
On Thursday 18 June, the Brent Centre for Young People (BCYP) welcomed Professor Alessandra Lemma to Westminster School for an evening exploring one of the most pressing questions facing young people today: how are digital technologies and algorithms shaping adolescent development, identity and mental health?
The seminar, From Scrolling Through to Working Through: Adolescence, Algorithms and the Search for Coherence, brought together more than 300 clinicians, educators, and professionals to consider the psychological impact of growing up in an increasingly digital world.
The timing of the event proved particularly significant. Earlier that week, the UK Government announced proposals to introduce a ban on social media for under-16s by spring 2027, placing the relationship between young people and technology firmly at the centre of public debate. Our seminar provided an opportunity to move beyond headlines and explore the complexities of this issue through clinical thinking, research and, importantly, young people's own perspectives.
Before Professor Lemma's presentation, pupils from Westminster School and the Brent Centre's Youth Ambassadors shared their reflections on how digital technology influences young people's lives and mental health. Their contributions highlighted the importance of ensuring that young people's experiences remain central to conversations about online life and future policy.
" When new technology emerges, it is often young people who experience the effects first, adapt to them quickest, and deal with both the opportunities and challenges they create." - BCYP Youth Ambassador
This was the fourth event hosted in partnership with Westminster School, continuing our shared commitment to creating spaces where clinicians and people working with young people can engage in thoughtful dialogue around issues affecting adolescent mental health.
Professor Lemma is internationally recognised for her work in psychoanalysis, trauma, the psychological impact of technology, transgender identities and ethics. Drawing on her extensive clinical experience, she explored how digital technologies have become more than simply tools that young people use; they increasingly shape the conditions in which identity develops and self-understanding takes place.
Her presentation examined how practices such as online self-diagnosis and health tracking can, for some adolescents, become ways of seeking stability and coherence during periods of uncertainty and change. While these technologies can offer connection and reassurance, Professor Lemma also considered how algorithm-driven environments may influence how young people experience themselves and seek recognition from others.
"Online self-diagnosis and self-tracking are not only socio-cultural trends but contemporary idioms for organising psychic life that demand a thoughtful psychanalytic response attuned to the mediations of the digital age." - Professor Alessandra Lemma
Using psychoanalytic thinking alongside clinical examples, she invited the audience to reflect on how therapists, educators and families might better understand the psychological meaning of young people's digital lives, rather than viewing technology as either wholly beneficial or wholly harmful.
The presentation was followed by a panel discussion featuring Professor Lemma, Antje Netzer-Stein, Psychoanalyst and Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist, Dr Andrew Browne, Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist at Westminster School, and Valentina Levi, CEO of the Brent Centre for Young People and Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist.
The discussion explored a range of issues, including the UK social media restrictions, the opportunities and challenges digital technologies present for adolescent development, and whether the demands of algorithm-driven visibility can sit alongside the reflective processes that support psychological growth.
The evening prompted thoughtful discussion among attendees and demonstrated the value of bringing together clinical expertise, research, education and young people's lived experience to explore complex issues affecting adolescent mental health.
We would like to thank Alessandra Lemma, our panellists, Westminster School and its students, our Youth Ambassadors and everyone who attended and contributed to such an engaging evening.
If you would like to sign-up to future Brent Centre events, visit our Eventbrite page to see our upcoming seminars: https://bcypseminar26.eventbrite.co.uk
About Professor Alessandra Lemma
Professor Alessandra Lemma is a Fellow of the British Psychoanalytical Society and a Chartered Clinical and Counselling Psychologist with extensive experience as a clinician, academic and author. She is Visiting Professor in the Psychoanalysis Unit at University College London, Consultant at the Anna Freud Centre, and Visiting Professor at Centro Winnicott in Rome. She previously served as Head of Psychology and Professor of Psychological Therapies at the Tavistock Clinic.