Would you like a voice in the future of digital media?

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Join the Digital Wellness Lab Student Advisory Council

At the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, we conduct research and work across industries to develop evidence-based guidance to encourage technology leaders to build a healthier media ecosystem for youth — from infants to young adults — and we need your help!

If you’re a high school student (ages 14-18), we’d like to invite you to consider applying to participate in the Digital Wellness Lab Student Advisory Council for the 2023-2024 school year.

Applications for the 2023-24 school year available in July 2023.

Boston Children's Digital Wellness Lab
Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital
Boston Children's Hospital

A chance to positively impact future media and technology

As a student advisor to the Lab, you will have the opportunity to learn about the latest research on digital media and technology — and its impact on youth — build your leadership skills, and contribute to important change initiatives. As a Digital Wellness Lab Student Advisory Council member, you will:

  • Engage in comprehensive conversations about your experiences online
  • Learn about current research and discuss what it means to engage healthfully and mindfully with technology and media
  • Make recommendations and suggestions for ways applications and platforms can be designed for healthy experiences
  • Receive mentorship and support from leading researchers in the field and have the opportunity to author content about digital wellness for teens.
young people walking outside with backpacks

Areas of focus

In our first convening, we’ll discuss which topics the group is most interested in examining throughout the school year. Some possible areas of focus include:
  • Ways to create a more kind, tolerant, and inclusive digital world
  • Influences on our emotions and actions when we’re online
  • Addressing authenticity and meaningful relationships online
  • Harnessing control over what we consume through media on a daily basis
  • Peer pressure and influencer culture
  • Time spent with digital media and technologies and ways to set healthy boundaries
  • Misinformation and disinformation campaigns
  • Miscommunication and confrontations online
  • Social exclusion and cyberbullying
  • Using digital media and technologies for positive outcomes

Commitment required

All students who join the Digital Wellness Lab Student Advisory Council will be responsible for:
  • Attending one 90-minute virtual, zoom-based meeting each month after school hours, October through May
  • Actively engaging in group conversations and the work of the Student Advisory Council
  • Participating in the design and creation of outreach materials
  • Speaking, publishing, and/or presenting to stakeholders in the digital space, including academic researchers, educators, industry leaders, and parents
We expect full participation to require approximately 20-25 hours of engagement over the year. To ensure you feel safe and supported, all meetings will be moderated by adult team members from the Digital Wellness Lab and Boston Children’s Hospital.

Have a question? 

If you want more details or have a question, please don’t hesitate to email us at dwl@childrens.harvard.edu. We’re happy to answer questions from teachers and parents too! The Digital Wellness Lab is located in Boston, MA. All meetings will be held via Zoom. Plan to meet the third Monday or Tuesday of every month adjusting for holidays and school vacations. Time TBD based on the time zones of participants.
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