EMPOWERING DIGITAL WELLNESS FOR KIDS | September 2023

Greetings Friend of the Lab,

One of the core tenets of the Digital Wellness Lab’s impact strategy is the theory that effective change will happen through meaningful cross-disciplinary collaboration, “bringing everyone inside the tent”.

It was with that belief in the importance of diverse expertise that we, together with Roblox, convened over 100 experts in tech, education, policy, and more to ask what would need to happen to make the online world a truly safe and civil space, especially for youth.

The result of this collaboration is our latest white paper, “Creating a Positive Foundation for Greater Civility in Online Spaces.”

Key takeaways include ideas for:

1. Technology tactics needed to reinforce and empower communities and users to initiate positive and constructive experiences.
2. Policy efforts and community standards needed to promote behaviors to make digital spaces more positive than the physical world.
3. Educational practices needed to scale these efforts in civility, safety, policy, and community standards globally and raise awareness. 

Learn more and download the report here. Please keep reading for more exciting news from the Lab.

Thank you!

Cori Stott
Administrative Director
The Digital Wellness Lab

Applications for our Student Advisory Council are due on September 15th

High school students from around the U.S. have the opportunity to learn from researchers, clinicians, and technology leaders, share their opinions, and contribute to research that has the potential to make the internet a more positive and safe place for young people. In particular, we are seeking applicants who reside in central and southern U.S. states to ensure geographic diversity.

Resources for Parents & Caregivers

Parent’s Guide to Cyberbullying

How You (and Your Kids) Can Feel Empowered by Social Media

The Lab in the News

Younger Generations and Technology WBZ NewsRadio

It’s OK to Lose Yourself in Cute Cat Videos When You Need Them PC Mag

Your Kid’s First Day Of School Pics Are Cute But Pose A Potential Problem HuffPost

What’s Happening in September

This month will find our team sharing our expertise about digital wellness across the globe:

• Participating on a panel at the World Knowledge Forum in Seoul, Korea
• Presenting at a convening with the Digital Citizenship Project
• Taking part in the Boston Globe’s 2023 Globe Summit, as part of a panel about Gen Z and Mental Health
• Hosting presentations for families with Ipswich Aware and the Gloucester Regional Youth Prevention Network
• Meeting families at the Martha Eliot Health Fair in Jamaica Plain
• Joining representatives from NYU and the UN on a panel led by young people addressing online safety and wellbeing
• Presenting a session on PIMU at the New York Pediatric Advances CME course

We’re also excited to welcome a new graduate student intern to our growing Research team.

We are hiring!

The Clinical Research Specialist will be a key member of our research team with the opportunity to contribute to all stages of research. They will collaborate with the Lead Research Scientist and the members of the Lab’s research team to design studies, collect data, and conduct analyses related to deepening our understanding of young people’s digital wellness. This position is hybrid and requires twice-weekly travel to our Boston office.

Identifying & Addressing PIMU - CME Opportunity

Because PIMU is relatively new, practicing medical and mental health clinicians have received little to no training or experience in preventing, recognizing, or responding to the syndrome. Our full day, live, virtual CME course on October 11 will provide practitioners with information about PIMU and its different presentations; insights about how to recognize and respond to young people’s motivations for using digital tech and media; and therapeutic and educational strategies for addressing PIMU and other media-related issues.

Can’t make it on October 11? Register and you’ll receive a full recording of the session to watch at a time that works for you.

If you have friends, family, and colleagues who could benefit from this newsletter, please pass it on and encourage them to sign up to receive it themselves. Thank you!