EMPOWERING DIGITAL WELLNESS FOR KIDS | February 2024

Greetings Friend of the Lab,

Earlier this week, we launched the findings from our latest Pulse Survey - Use of Voice Assistants and Generative AI by Children and Families – just in time for Safer Internet Day! This survey of nearly 1,500 parents of children ages 3-12 explores emerging trends in household usage of AI-powered Voice Assistants (such as Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant) and newer Generative AI technologies (such as ChatGPT). It also offers insights about parents’ perceptions of these technologies’ impacts on children’s privacy, safety, learning, and development

Check out our blog post which highlights key findings and includes guidance for parents and caregivers as they navigate the new world of AI. If you’d like to read the full report and our Recommendations for Industry, you can access them here.

February promises to be another busy month as we welcome a new team member, meet with our Student Advisory Council, and spread the word about digital wellness around the country. Please read on to learn more!

Best,

Cori Stott
Executive Director
The Digital Wellness Lab

Dr. Rich Highlights Lab Research in His New Book

We are excited to announce the release of Dr. Michael Rich’s new book, The Mediatrician's Guide: A Joyful Approach to Raising Healthy, Smart, Kind Kids in a Screen-Saturated World. Featuring actionable guidance drawn from the Lab's research and Dr. Rich's own clinical experiences, the book is a science-backed resource for parents, educators, pediatricians, and technologists. Learn more about it here.

We believe that by following the science, we can create an empathetic and respectful world in which our kids can grow up healthy, smart, and kind.

Resources for Parents & Caregivers 

FAMILY GUIDE

5 Strategies for Setting Digital Media Boundaries and Guidelines for Kids

Go to Guide >

RESEARCH BRIEF

Children and Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Go to Research Brief >

The Lab in the News

Pediatrician’s guide to raising your kid in the digital age ABC News

The Teachable Moments Hidden in Plain Sight Discord Safety

The Human Change campaign launched at World Economic Forum in Davos to make children’s mental health a global priority Human Change

Revealed: almost half of British teens feel addicted to social media, study says The Guardian

What’s Happening in February

We’re carrying forward the momentum of the new year into a series of important conversations centered on youth and digital wellbeing, including:

— A talk on bullying and social media at Tufts Medical Center

— A discussion about the impact and opportunities of AI at our next Discussions on Digital Wellness supporter meeting

— A presentation to the Boston Childrens’ Physician Group to share what we’re learning in our Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders (CIMAID) about Problematic Media Use (PIMU)

— Drs. Rich and Bickham engaging with major tech companies to integrate the results of our work and research into decision making and design processes.

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!