The World Health Organization (WHO) is drawing attention to the growing importance of addressing the impacts of digital environments on children's health and development.
On Sunday 17 May, ahead of the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly (WHA79). WHO inaugurated The Lost Screen Memorial in collaboration with Archewell Philanthropies and The Parents' Network at the Place des Nations in Geneva.
The inauguration was attended by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, the Mayor of Geneva Alfonso Gomez Cruz, Ministers of Health participating in the World Health Assembly, families, advocates and representatives from civil society.
The memorial features fifty illuminated lightboxes displaying the lock screen images of children whose lives were lost in circumstances linked to online harms and violence. Through personal stories shared by families, the exhibit aims to raise awareness of the serious and preventable health and safety risks children and adolescents may face in digital environments.
Online violence and harmful digital experiences can have profound consequences for the mental health, well-being and safety of children and young people. These risks include cyberbullying, exploitation, grooming, sextortion, exposure to harmful content, and other forms of abuse facilitated through digital platforms and emerging technologies.
The memorial was first unveiled in New York in 2025 as part of the No Child Lost to Social Media campaign and is being presented in Geneva for the first time during the World Health Assembly.
WHO continues to work with Member States, researchers, United Nations partners, civil society and other stakeholders to strengthen evidence, promote prevention and support policies that help create safer digital spaces for children and adolescents.
The exhibition will remain open to the public at Place des Nations through 22 May 2026. Visitors can also access the digital companion experience featuring stories shared by families through The Lost Screen Memorial .
