On June 12th 2026, the University of Antwerp and KU Leuven are organising a mini-symposium entitled 'Mental wellbeing in times of AI and social media'. The symposium will be held at the M-building of the city campus of the University of Antwerp.

The purpose of the mini-symposium is to bring together young scholars and senior researchers who are working on topic of mental wellbeing, an important scientific and societal issue. The program for the symposium is outlined below. Attendance is free, but registration is mandatory - please note that registration is possible until (and including) June 10th, 2026!  

The symposium is sponsored by the Francqui Foundation, in particular by the International Francqui Professor chair awarded to Prof. Dr. Peter Schulz (Università della Svizzera italiana). 

Program

11:00-11:45 Opening lecture: AI for Mental Health: Ethical and Practical Implications (Tom van Daele, Thomas More, aula S.M.004)

11:45-12:30 Lunch (Aula S.M.101)

Part 1, location: aula S.M.107: 

12:30-12:45 Paulien Decorte (University of Antwerp) - Real-Time Sleep and Stress: Longitudinal Insights from Wearable Technology
12:45-13:00 Karolien Poels (University of Antwerp) - Ready for monetization? Consumer vulnerability in the age of conversational advertising.
13:00-13:15 Valentina Bartali (Tilburg University) - Project "What's BOThering You?": Understanding students' preferences for a mental well-being chatbot
13:15-13:30 Floortje Meyvis (University of Antwerp) - Navigating through Fear of Failure: Exploring the role of GenAI conversations on student wellbeing
13:30-13:45 Rowan Daneels (University of Antwerp) - Generative AI and mental wellbeing in Youth and Adolescents
13:45-14:00 Ferdinand Ferroli (KU Leuven) - Who Shapes Health Decisions? Conceptualising Conversational AI in Doctor-Patient Relations 

14:00-14:30 Coffee break (Aula S.M.101)

Part 2, location: aula S.M.107: 

14:00-14:15 Dries van Dyck (University of Antwerp) - A goal-conflict approach to social media disconnection
14:15-14:30 Ines Boeckxstaens (KU Leuven) - Empowering Autistic Adolescents and Adolescents in Residential Care with Social Media Literacy
14:30-14:45 Cas von Winckelman (KU Leuven) - Saving lives through technology: A mixed-methods approach to promoting citizen participation in first responder systems
14:45-15:00 Fe Verrelst (KU Leuven) - Different Platforms, Different Purposes: Motivations for Social Media Use Among Autistic Adolescents
15:00-15:15 Bram Spruyt (KU Leuven) - The social media food environment: Moving beyond main effects to susceptibility factors
15:15-15:30 Yifan Ou (University of Antwerp) - Social Support Structures in Comment Sections Following Anxiety Symptom Expressions: Mixed-Methods study

15:30-16:00 Coffee break (Aula S.M.101)

16:00-16:45 Closing lecture: Do we miss the moment of change? Time perspectives in media-effects research (Kathleen Beullens & Laura Vandenbosch, KU Leuven, Aula S.M.004)

16:45-18:00 Closing drinks (Aula S.M.101)

International Francqui Professor Chair, awarded to Prof. Dr. Peter Schulz for the academic year 2025 - 2026.