Overview
Our research strategy is focused on executing multi-methods research and disseminating what we learn through reports, publications, speaking engagements, family-focused content, and direct engagement with the tech/media and healthcare industries.
For the tech and media industry, we seek to embed what we’re learning into the decisions leaders are making every day about product, policy, and user supports to ensure young people’s social, emotional, and mental wellbeing and overall health are at the forefront.
For the healthcare industry, we share our findings to help clinicians better understand the impacts of interactive media on child and teen health and behavior.
The Digital Wellness Lab operates with a steadfast commitment to academic integrity, ethics, and independence, ensuring that all research endeavors are driven solely by scientific curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge. While our work is supported in part by donations from technology, entertainment, and healthcare companies; philanthropic organizations; and individuals; we do not engage in research for hire or accept funding that could compromise our autonomy or objectivity. We do not evaluate, endorse, or give preference to specific products or platforms.
Areas of Study
Mental, Social, and Emotional Health
We are working to better understand how engagement with the digital ecosystem affects young people’s mental, social, and emotional health in both positive and negative ways. We aim to identify opportunities to mitigate or eliminate harms and to elevate positive experiences for short- and long-term mental health outcomes for all young people.
Prosocial Development
Using both survey and experimental methods, we seek to identify how technology and media can be used in innovative ways to promote children’s, teens’, and young adults’ sense of belonging, prosocial behaviors, and their development of social-emotional competencies (such as empathy, self-regulation, self-awareness, social-awareness, and relationship building).
Problematic Interactive Media Use (PIMU)
Through our close engagement with the Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders (CIMAID) and other speciality clinical departments at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, we are working to identify the characteristics and risk factors of PIMU and to design intervention and treatment strategies to promote healthier media habits for youth and their families.
We are particularly interested in understanding the impacts of technology and interactive media through the lenses of social media, video games, and artificial intelligence (AI), as these are the technologies most often used by youth and most likely to have the greatest impacts.
Pulse Surveys
We conduct Digital Wellness Pulse Surveys periodically throughout the year to stay current on topics related to children’s and adolescents’ media and technology use. Surveys focus on asking teens and young adults about a range of topics to help us better understand their perspective on different aspects of the digital environment and the effects of their technology and media use on their health and wellbeing.
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Pulse Survey: Optimism and Uncertainty — How Teens View and Use Artificial Intelligence
This report explores how teenagers are navigating the opportunities and challenges that come with this rapidly evolving technology, including how they are using AI, their perceptions and concerns around these…
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Pulse Survey: Digital Gaming and Social Interaction
In this Pulse Survey, we asked over 1,400 adolescents (ages 13-17) about the different scenarios and contexts involved in their social video game play.
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Pulse Survey: Use of Voice Assistants and Generative AI by Children and Families
In this Pulse Survey, we asked parents about their family’s use, and their perceived impact, of Voice Assistants and Generative AI.
Research Briefs
In addition to our own research, we rely on the work of other researchers and organizations to gain an understanding of the effects of digital media and technology on young people. Research briefs are one way that we share the relevant findings of a particular study (or research on a specific topic) with our supporters and the general public.
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Research Brief: Digital Media and Technology for Social-Emotional Learning
Social-emotional learning (SEL) is often referred to as life skills, 21st century skills, and non-cognitive skills. A robust body of research highlights SEL’s positive impact on key developmental outcomes.
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The Online Experiences of LGBTQ+ Youth
Explore the online experiences of LGBTQ+ youth, including benefits, risks, and the need for tailored digital spaces to support their mental health and safety.
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Young People’s Sense of Belonging Online
This research brief explores online community spaces on social media and gaming platforms, describing how online connections can be both positive and negative for young people.
Ongoing Research Studies
We conduct longer-form academic research to more deeply explore key questions that are raised through our Pulse Surveys and in our engagement with stakeholders in the digital wellness and tech/media space.
