Student Advisory Council Application
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 — and we need your help!
The Digital Wellness Lab Student Advisory Council is an opportunity for teens to have a meaningful voice in how we use research to build a healthier, safer, more positive digital ecosystem.
The Student Advisory Council — composed of high school students ages 14-18 from across the United States — meets monthly during the school year to discuss core topics of digital life; meet with experts from tech and media, healthcare, and academia; and contribute to a deeper understanding of the outcomes of our research.
At the close of the school year, Council members will take part in a final presentation with technology and media leaders to share what they think should be done to make the digital ecosystem a more positive place for young people.
The application window for participation during the 2024-2025 school year closed on September 9, 2024. Participants will be notified in late September.
Required Commitment
The Digital Wellness Lab is located in Boston, MA. All meetings will be held virtually via Zoom.
We expect full participation to require approximately 12-15 hours of engagement over the school year. The Council will be broken into groups, based on time zone and time availability. (NOTE: Students under the age of 18 will require a parental/guardian consent form.)
All students who join the Digital Wellness Lab Student Advisory Council will be responsible for:
- Attending a 60-minute virtual meeting each month after school hours during a weeknight, October 2024-through March 2025 (total of six sessions);
- Participating in a 2-hour virtual presentation in April 2025 with technology, healthcare and research professionals (final Council project);
- Actively engaging in group conversations and the work of the Student Advisory Council both synchronously and asynchronously.
Optional Opportunities
- Connecting with Digital Wellness Lab researchers to advise on research questions and/or reporting;
- Producing blog or interactive content about digital wellness for young people;
- Potentially mentoring future Student Advisory Council members;
- Brainstorming ideas for a national youth convening;
- Attending large group educational panels with technology and healthcare professionals; and
- Participating in public conferences about the ways the digital ecosystem affects young people’s mental and physical health in positive and negative ways.
To ensure Council members feel safe and supported, all meetings and activities will be moderated by adult team members from the Digital Wellness Lab and Boston Children’s Hospital.
Areas of focus
We’d like to hear about your specific interest areas in the application form, but based on past experiences, we currently expect to discuss the following topics throughout the year:
- Ideas for creating a kinder, tolerant, and inclusive digital world
- How our emotions and actions are influenced by our time online
- Developing authentic and meaningful relationships online
- Ways to harness control and set healthy boundaries on our digital media use
- Peer pressure and influencer culture
- Digital literacy (misinformation and disinformation)
- Social exclusion and cyberbullying
- The role of artificial intelligence in school and everyday life
- Using digital media and technologies for positive outcomes
Have a question?
For more information, or to ask a question, please don’t hesitate to email us. We’re happy to answer questions from teachers and parents too!
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.
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