Babies and the Digital World: Challenges and Opportunities for the Earliest Years
When & Where?
Mon 25 May 2026 10:30am - 1:00pm
The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge
18 High Street
Canterbury
Kent
CT1 2RA

Join us for a panel discussion exploring the challenges and opportunities babies and young children face in an increasingly digital world.
Bringing together artists, researchers and technologists, the discussion asks how digital culture can support creativity, care and respect for our youngest audiences. Rather than debating whether babies should encounter technology, we examine how they are invited into digital artistic spaces — and what ethical responsibilities this creates.
Topics include digital rights, embodied interaction and designing experiences for audiences who cannot speak or opt out.
Together, we question how art, current research, theatre and technology can nurture meaningful, inclusive early-years cultural experiences.
There will be teas and coffees available before the discussion from 10.30-11.00am.
Babies welcome.
This panel discussion is part of our Early Years - Conversations and Exchanges series during Playground Festival. Find out more about the series.
Panellists
Makers of Imaginary Worlds (Chair)
Roma Patel is a scenographer and artist that make work for site-specific performance, theatre and interactive installations in UK and Europe. She develops performances that extend and explores the audience relationship to scenography.
Her work lies at the intersection of theatre and interactivity. She has designed several site-specific performances for Irish Theatre Company, Corcadora, one of which was acquired for the permanent collections by Victoria and Albert Theatre Museum in 2008. Her work frequently included experimenting with technology for projection design, 3D modelling, VR and AR. She is currently a Visiting Artist at the Mixed Reality Lab, University of Nottingham, and is involved in artistic research that explores the potential of interactive scenography for Theatre for Young Audiences. Since 1998 she has designed installation, sets and worked in partnership with several arts organisation and Museums, Nottingham City Museums and Art Galleries, City Arts, Theatre Hullabaloo, London International Festival of Theatre, Theatre Centre, and Manchester Library Theatre.
Researcher and Early Years Specialist
Co-founder and Director of Magic Acorns
