-- The inaugural Sync Digital Wellbeing Summit (29-30 March) will raise 
awareness of the hidden realities of our relationship with digital services
-- Leadership from IBM, UNESCO and Childnet amongst those speaking at sessions 
across the two-day Summit
-- Full Summit agenda can be viewed here ( https://sync.ithra.com/sync-summit )
-- Media wanting to virtually attend any of the sessions can register via this 
link ( https://dws.registration-system.fr/virtual/request-invitation )

The Sync Digital Wellbeing Summit is set to get underway today at The King 
Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture (Ithra), Saudi Arabia. The two-day event – 
hosted both virtually and at Ithra – will bring together leaders from across 
tech, academia, sports, culture and policy, providing a platform for thought 
leaders to develop new solutions for protecting the wellbeing of digital media 
users worldwide.

Focusing in on five key areas of concern, Summit sessions will invite speakers 
to offer insight and perspective on the topics of digital addiction, privacy, 
fake news and misinformation, relationships and algorithms. It is hoped that 
the exchange of ideas and knowledge can help to inspire tangible change in how 
we interact with, regulate and design digital platforms.

Amongst the roster of thought leaders expected to speak at the Summit, will be 
major figures representing tech, NGOs, charities, Governments and the cultural 
influencer community. The headline speakers include:

    -- Will Gardner OBE, CEO at Childnet
    -- Mo Gawdat, Author, Entrepreneur and Former Chief Business Officer, 
       Google [X]
    -- Jonathan Garner, Founder & CEO, Mind Over Tech
    -- Ross Farrelly, PhD, Director Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, 
       IBM
    -- H.H. Princess Haifa Al Mogrin, Permanent Delegate of the Kingdom of 
       Saudi Arabia, UNESCO
    -- Angela Gandra da Silva Martins PhD, Vice-Minister, Human Rights for 
       the Family
    -- Liz Sweigart PhD, Chief Product & Strategy Officer, Safe Kids AI
    -- John A. Naslund, PhD, Instructor in Global Health & Social Medicine, 
       Harvard Medical School
    -- Gitanjali Rao, Innovator, Author, and TIME Magazine's first ever "Kid 
       of the Year"

Speakers attending the Summit will discuss a broad range of topics relating to 
digital wellbeing. Panel session and speech highlights will include:

    -- Technology and Me: 29th March, 07:15 – 07:55 BST 
       - Speakers include: Isabella Plunkett, Community Operations Analyst, 
         Independent Consultant, Ireland and Gitanjali Rao, Innovator, 
         Author, and TIME Magazine's First-Ever "Kid of the Year" in 2020, 
         United States

    -- The Science of Digital Wellbeing: 29th March, 07:55 – 08:35 BST
       - Speakers include: James P Steyer, American children's advocate, 
         civil rights attorney and Mo Gawdat

    -- The Psychology of Technology: 29th March, 09:30 – 10:10 BST
       - Speakers include: Prof. Paul Dolan, Professor of Behavioral Science, 
         London School of Economics, United Kingdom and Dr. Mohammed Alhajji, 
         Director of the Behavioral Insights & Nudge Unit, Ministry of 
         Health, Saudi Arabia

    -- Achieving Digital Balance – Addiction & Responsible Media 
       Design: 29th March, 10:10 – 10:50 BST
       - Speakers include: Prof. Christian Montag, Head of the department 
         Molecular Psychology at Ulm University

    -- Should Digital Wellbeing be a Right? The Rights and Ethics of 
       Digitalization: 29th March, 15:15 – 15:55 BST
       - Speakers include: Prof. Martin Hilbert, Chair, DE Computational 
         Social Science, University of California and Dominic Richardson, 
         Chief of Social and Economic Policy Analysis, UNICEF Office of 
         Research, Innocenti

    -- Forming Habits and Developing Identity in the Digital Age: 29th March, 
       14:00 – 14:20 BST
       - Speakers include: James Clear, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author 
         of Atomic Habits, and Founder, Habits Academy

    -- Building a Brighter Future: 30th March, 07:00 – 07:30 BST
       - Speakers include: Simon Sinek, Optimist and Best-Selling Author

    -- Does the internet need warning labels?: 30th March,  13:20 – 14:00 BST 
       - Speakers include: Matthew Bergman, Founder, Social Media Victims Law 
         Center, United States

    -- Creating a Safe Cyber Space for Children & Teens: 30th March, 13:15 – 
       13:55 BST
       - Speakers include: Will Gardner, CEO, Childnet International, United 
         Kingdom, Dr. Liz Sweigart, Chief Product & Strategy Officer, Safe 
         Kids AI, United States and Marc Berkman, CEO, Organization for 
         Social Media Safety, United States

To find out more and to see the full agenda visit 
https://sync.ithra.com/sync-summit

Notes for Editors

About Sync

Sync is a digital well-being initiative launched by King Abdulaziz Center for 
World Culture (Ithra) with a vision to create a world where we are all in 
control of our digital lives. The initiative is guided by extensive research in 
collaboration with global entities to understand the amplifications of 
technology and how it's affecting our lives, and translate the knowledge gained 
into awareness campaigns, tools, experiences, educational content and programs 
aiming to raise the global public awareness around the topic.

To sync with Sync: Twitter https://twitter.com/SyncIthra, or Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/SyncIthra

About Ithra

The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) is one of Saudi Arabia's 
most influential cultural destinations, a destination for the curious, 
creatives, and seekers of knowledge. Through a compelling series of programs, 
performances, exhibitions, events and initiatives, Ithra creates world-class 
experiences across its interactive public spaces. These bring together culture, 
innovation and knowledge in a way that is designed to appeal to everyone. By 
connecting creatives, challenging perspectives and transforming ideas, Ithra is 
proud to be inspiring cultural leaders of the future. Ithra is Saudi Aramco's 
flagship CSR initiative and the Kingdom's largest cultural centre, comprising 
an Idea Lab, Library, Cinema, Theater, Museum, Energy Exhibit, Great Hall, 
Children's Museum and Ithra Tower.

For further information, please visit: www.ithra.com.

Follow Ithra on social media: Facebook (King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture 
( https://www.facebook.com/KingAbdulazizCenterForWorldCulture/ ), Twitter 
(@Ithra ( https://twitter.com/ithra?lang=en ) and Instagram (@Ithra ( 
https://www.instagram.com/ithra/?hl=en  ) #Ithra

SOURCE Ithra