Biznes Fakty
Zuzanna Lewandowska, President of the TVN Foundation, on the mental health of children and adolescents
– Eight hundred thousand children of school age require accessibility to professional psychiatric and psychological services. This figure represents the population of Poland’s second-largest city, Krakow. The extent of these needs is staggering, emphasized Zuzanna Lewandowska, president of the TVN Foundation.
The TVN Foundation organized two events at the Impact’25 conference: a panel discussion focusing on the mental health of children and adolescents in the digital era, and a dialogue with Max Brzezicki, a Polish researcher aiming to develop a diagnostic program for mental disorders.
„We live in very challenging times”
The president of the TVN Foundation pointed out that „fortunately, there is now considerable discussion regarding the necessity of addressing children’s and youth mental health issues.” She elaborated on the importance of including mental health topics at conferences like Impact’25, which are primarily business-oriented.
– I firmly believe that mental health has emerged as a crucial topic, as we express our desire to cultivate a robust Polish society. We are facing extremely challenging times, both demographically and geopolitically, which places considerable pressure on us. Moreover, we must educate the youth within these contexts, as they already face additional challenges stemming from the societal changes we are undergoing. This is an immensely significant issue – Lewandowska stressed.
She further added that „everyone must discover their unique contribution within this vast sea of needs.” Consequently, she revealed that the TVN Foundation aims to „finance around 350,000 therapy sessions annually” by 2027. – This represents the foundation’s contribution, Lewandowska concluded.
Zuzanna Lewandowska, president of the TVN Foundation, at Impact’25 TVN24„Two weeks later we’re back to square one”
She also reminded that the TVN Foundation has been dedicated to the welfare of children and young individuals for 24 years. – However, we also play the role of builders. We renovate and construct hospitals. We recently inaugurated the Center for Psychiatry and Oncology at the Children’s Health Center – she recalled.
– A massive, state-of-the-art hospital spanning six thousand square meters, the 30th structure within the Children’s Health Center, featuring 30 hospital beds and three reference levels. And what occurred? Just two weeks later, children were lying in the corridors due to a lack of space. This is a modern hospital built according to expert criteria. We invested 35 million zlotys into this facility. Yet, two weeks later, we found ourselves back at the beginning. This illustrates the enormous scale of needs – she explained.
She added that in this context, the TVN Foundation allocated funds to double the number of available beds. – This only emphasizes the vast scale of needs we are facing – she highlighted.
She pointed out that this facility „is the most advanced of its kind in Europe.” – One of the reasons for this, which is quite ironic, is not only that the building is exceptionally modern, but also that it is situated within the Children’s Health Center – she noted, underlining that „for decades, psychiatric hospitals were built far from the urban centers, often in secluded areas.” – This also reflects how we have generally approached this issue, she concluded.
„This is an open topic”
Lewandowska also emphasized the challenge of determining who will be accountable for regulating young people’s access to digital devices.
– This remains an unresolved matter. (…) I observe that there is still ambiguity regarding who should take responsibility and what further decisions are necessary to address the known issue of the negative effects of smartphones on the mental well-being of children and adolescents – the president of the TVN Foundation summarized.
