Hooked: Screens, AI and the Battle for Our Attention, 22/08/2026

Four experts join Lisa to unpack why our attention has become the world's most valuable currency, and what that means for both our children and ourselves. Picture a baby in a highchair, eyes fixed on a glowing screen while the adult beside them tries to make contact. It is an ordinary scene, almost too ordinary to notice. Yet it helped prompt Luxembourg’s National Addiction Prevention Service, CNAPA, to launch its campaign Kanneräe liichten offline méi hell, or Kids’ Eyes Shine Brighter Offline. On The Lisa Burke Show, four experts examine what happens when digital technology enters human life before language, judgement or self-control have fully developed. Anouk Hinger, Tania Hemmer, Dr Andreas König and Dr Nora Schleich take the conversation from infant attachment to parental burnout, behavioural addiction, data capitalism and AI systems capable of detecting the precise moment when our resistance is weakest. The first battle is for a baby’s gaze Anouk Hinger, Director of CNAPA, describes “technoference”, the interruption of human contact by technology. When a caregiver’s attention repeatedly moves towards a device, a baby can lose some of the eye contact, responsiveness and reassurance through which security and trust begin to develop. Young children learn through movement, touch, language, facial expression and shared experience. Anouk argues that excessive screen exposure during the crucial early years can crowd out the experiences through which communication, empathy and problem-solving grow. “What children need most is their parents and the interaction with their caregivers.” Anouk Hinger, CNAPA The message is serious, although it is not intended to bury already exhausted parents beneath another layer of guilt. Parents are tired too Tania Hemmer works with parents through Eltereschoul Janusz Korczak and specialises in parental burnout. She knows the reality behind the rules: work, shopping, cooking, school messages, appointments, laundry and a child who needs attention just as the adult’s own energy disappears. A screen used briefly while a parent regains composure is very different from a device becoming the family’s permanent babysitter. Context matters. So does compassion. “It is better for your child to watch ten minutes of a video and for you, as a parent, to calm yourself before you break down.” Tania Hemmer, Eltereschoul Her advice is practical: remain curious about what children do online, avoid mocking their digital interests, create screen-free periods and keep the conversation alive through adolescence. Rules matter, although relationships carry more weight as children grow older. The slot machine inside the smartphone Dr Andreas König, Executive Director of Luxembourg’s Center for Excessive Behavior and Behavioral Addictions, explains why some digital habits become so difficult to stop. Social media feeds and games use variable rewards. Each swipe may reveal something funny, affirming, shocking or entirely forgettable. The unpredictability keeps us moving towards the next possibility. Dopamine, König explains, is closely linked to the expectation that a reward might be coming. Heavy use alone does not automatically amount to addiction. The warning signs include a persistent pattern, loss of control, the activity taking priority over other parts of life, and continued use despite harm to health, education, work or relationships. AI intensifies this machinery. It can study what we click, how long we pause, when we become frustrated and when we are preparing to leave. “The thing I find most troubling is that algorithms with AI are increasingly good at targeting you at your weakest moment.” Dr Andreas König, ZEV When your context has been chosen for you For philosopher Dr Nora Schleich, the issue reaches far beyond screen time. Digital platforms collect behavioural data, build psychological profiles and use prediction to shape the material placed in front of us. “Who has data has AI. Who has more data has more efficient AI.” Dr Nora Schleich, EwB asbl Our surroundings have always influenced how we perceive the world. The new difficulty is that much of our digital environment has been personalised to retain attention, provoke emotion and generate profit. We may believe that we are independently choosing what to watch, buy or believe while algorithms are quietly arranging the menu. This has consequences for individuals, families and democratic societies. When different groups receive increasingly different versions of reality, the common ground on which public conversation depends begins to shrink. Give boredom back to children One of Anouk Hinger’s most provocative recommendations is also one of the simplest: allow children to experience frustration. “Frustrate your kids. We live in a society where we are constantly entertained, and boredom has no space. We think it is important to give it back.” Anouk Hinger, CNAPA Boredom creates room for invention. Frustration teaches emotional regulation. Solving small problems develops self-efficacy, the belief that we can act, cope and influence what happens next. Tania tells the story of a parent using an app to calculate every element of her child’s food intake. The data said the child had eaten enough. The child was thin, hungry and waking at night. The human signs were present, although the parent had learned to trust the tool more than her own observation. “You have to watch your child to see your child.” Tania Hemmer, Eltereschoul Community may be our strongest defence The show closes with a reminder that social media succeeds because it draws upon a real human need. We want to belong. We want to be seen, heard and welcomed into a community. Digital platforms simulate much of this beautifully. A like resembles approval. A follower resembles a friend. Constant connection resembles company. The body, however, still knows the difference between a notification and another person laughing beside us. Nora Schleich calls for more room for meals, games, concerts, conversations, touch, humour and shared physical life. “All these moments create a much bigger energy than scrolling and posting. We need to make room for that again.” Dr Nora Schleich, EwB asbl The answer to digital addiction will require education, thoughtful regulation, responsible design and support for families. It may also begin with something wonderfully analogue: looking up, noticing who is beside us and giving them our full attention. Guests and organisations Anouk Hinger Director, CNAPA, National Addiction Prevention Service https://www.cnapa.lu Tania Hemmer Projects and Quality, Eltereschoul Janusz Korczak, Kannerschlass Foundation https://www.kannerschlass.lu Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Eltereschoul/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eltereschoul/ Dr Andreas König Executive Director, ZEV, Center for Excessive Behavior and Behavioral Addictions https://www.zev.lu Dr Nora Schleich Directrice, EwB asbl https://ewb.lu RTL episode link: https://perma.rtl.lu/a/2710427