The second quarter of the year found all of us here at the Digital Wellness Lab hard at work releasing new research, and convening stakeholders, including teens — all in an effort to promote positive and healthy digital media experiences.
The Lab’s Q2 Highlights
- Released our latest Pulse Survey, Digital Gaming and Social Interaction, querying a nationwide sample of over 1,400 adolescents (ages 13-17) about the different scenarios and contexts involved in their social video game play.
- Watched with pride as members of our 2023-2024 Student Advisory Council led two panel discussions for tech and media industry leaders about identity and representation online, image and video based social media, digital literacy and citizenship, online relationships and connections, and AI in schools.
- Expanded the Inspired Internet Pledge to 14 Signatories and 15 Advisors.
- Traveled to Geneva for the United Nations’ AI for Good Summit, a global gathering to discuss AI and the next generation, where we shared about the Inspired Internet Pledge and made connections for future research.
- Presented at the Sync Digital Wellbeing Summit in Saudi Arabia, where the Lab’s work featured prominently in the discussions about how to exist in a positive, healthy relationship with technology every day.
- Co-led a panel at the inaugural Digital Parenthood Summit on “Building a Better Internet” during which we surmised what the digital ecosystem would be like if investors, designers, policymakers prioritized the voices and futures of their young users.
- Promoted Zhiying (Zoey) Yue, PhD and Michael Carter, PhD to Lab Scientists.
- Joined Inspired Internet Pledge signatories and advisors in Washington D.C. for a thought leadership event hosted by the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and Pinterest. The event brought together experts to address a critical question: How can we ensure healthy outcomes for kids in our increasingly digital world?
- Participated in a live Reddit #AMA with the Associated Press to provide practical guidance on raising teens in a digitally-saturated world.
- Featured in a short documentary, The Teen Brain, by Emmy-nominated director, Tiffany Shlain, in partnership with Goldie Hawn and MindUP.
Information You Can Use
Navigating summertime #screentime
Explore evidence-based best practices for parenting around screen use, delve into the benefits of boredom, and get age-appropriate tips to help guide children towards a healthy, balanced relationship with screens this summer, and all year long.
Are cell phone bans in school the answer?
We offer our view on the complicated topic of cell phone bans in schools and some recommendations for how parents and educators can promote digital wellness.
Instagram is not a cigarette
In this story in The Atlantic, our Research Director, Dr. David Bickham, comments on the evolving understanding of social media’s effects on kids.
Our most popular resource is now available in Spanish
Our 2023-24 Family Digital Wellness Guide is now available in Spanish, equipping more families with the tools they need to promote digital wellbeing in their homes.
Nuestro recurso más popular ahora está disponible en español
Nuestra Guía de Bienestar Digital Familiar 2023-24 ahora está disponible en español, equipando a más familias con las herramientas que necesitan para promover el bienestar digital en sus hogares.
Digital trends impacting youth mental health
Our Medical Librarian & Knowledge Manager Kaitlin Tiches and Clinical Research Specialist Nicole Powell joined Antonia Holder from Digiroo to unpack essential knowledge and practical strategies to promote a healthy and balanced digital life for young people this summer and beyond.
Our 2023-24 Student Advisory Council members share how tech is impacting their lives
Teen Voices, a blog series authored by our Student Advisory Council members, is a forum for high school students to share their thoughts about how engagement with digital media and social media affects their mental, physical and social health in both positive and negative ways.
Are smartphones and social media harming teen mental health? Here’s why experts are split
In a PBS News special, Dr. Michael Rich, director of the Digital Wellness Lab, cautions that digital device and social media bans may be impractical and ignore the benefits some kids glean from these technologies.
Want more?
To catch up on what else we’ve been up to at the Digital Wellness Lab, check out our latest blog posts and press; learn more about our work and how we create impact here; and if you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter. Interested in learning more about joining the Inspired Internet Pledge to be a part of the collaborative work to build a healthier internet? Email us at dwl@childrens.harvard.edu to connect!