EMPOWERING DIGITAL WELLNESS FOR KIDS | May 2025

Greetings Friend of the Lab,

In schools across the country, new cell phone policies are being adopted at a rapid pace—ranging from classroom-only restrictions to full-day "bell-to-bell" bans. But too often, the voices of the young people most affected by these policies are missing from the conversation.

Our latest Pulse Survey, Fairness and Focus: Teens Weigh in on School Phone Policies, shares insights from more than 1,500 teens nationwide.

The findings highlight important opportunities to inform school policies:

1. Students see phones in school as a distraction, and many are setting their own limits
2. Phone policies may improve the academic environment for some students
3. Students are more likely to support policies when they have input
4. Enforcement of phone policies can impact learning and school culture
5. Strict phone policies may undermine students’ sense of safety
6. Media literacy education does not adequately address healthy device use

While many students recognize that phones can be a distraction—and are already taking steps to manage their use—they want to be part of shaping the rules that govern their school days.

At the Lab, we believe the strongest policies are built with—not just for—students. We invite you to explore the full report and our blog post, which include key findings and actionable recommendations for educators, pediatric clinicians, tech developers, and parents/caregivers.

Thank you for being part of this important work.

If you know friends, family, or colleagues who could benefit from this newsletter, please pass it on and encourage them to subscribe. Thank you!

Toward a healthy digital future,

Cori Stott
Executive Director
The Digital Wellness Lab

New: 2024 Inspired Internet Pledge Annual Report

We’re excited to share the inaugural Inspired Internet Pledge Annual Report, representing a year and a half of bold ideas, meaningful collaboration, and collective action.

Launched by the Digital Wellness Lab with Founding Signatory Pinterest in Summer 2023, the #InspiredInternet Pledge has grown into a movement of over 50 organizations committed to shaping a healthier digital world. In that short time, Signatories and Advisors have launched innovative tools, advanced critical research, amplified youth voices, and influenced both product design and policy.

The report captures what we’ve accomplished so far, the challenges we face, and what’s ahead in 2025. Learn more below!

Resources for Parents & Caregivers

Conversations with Clinicians

Desiree Sierra-Velez, pediatric gastroenterologist at Boston Children’s, explains how technology can empower teens to take care of their health, an important step towards autonomy over their healthcare decision-making.

Read More →

Fellow Travelers

Carson Domey, Founder and Executive Director of The Coalition for Student Wellbeing, speaks about the value of incorporating mental health education and digital literacy skills into K-12 education curricula.

Read More →

Teen Voices

Tara, a member of the Digital Wellness Lab’s 2024-2025 Student Advisory Council, would like to see social media and technology designed with the end user in mind to better protect the youth of today and tomorrow.

Read More →

Leadership Message

In this letter from Lab leaders, Dr. Michael Rich and Cori Stott reflect on conversations around youth wellbeing and interactive media, and explore the most effective ways to help kids thrive in an online world.

Read More →

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.

New Resource! Movement and Outdoor Activity Family Guide

Lab colleague and #InspiredInternet Pledge Advisor California Partners Project and California’s First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom have created this new guide to help families find better tech/life balance—without stress, shame, or unrealistic expectations.

The guide includes conversation starters to help build connection, actionable ways to promote movement and time in nature, and creative ways to work with—not against—technology and media. This is a practical resource for families who are doing their best to adapt to a tech-saturated environment. 

✨ Get the guide here →

The Lab in Action

The Lab team will be on the road in May participating in a variety of educational events including conferences, workshops, summits and webinars to further advance digital wellness knowledge.

— At the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) 2025 Meeting, Dr. Zhiying (Zoey) Yue and Dr. David Bickham will be presenting about AI-powered tools for children and AI-powered voice assistants and children's social-emotional learning. Hannah Chidekel will lead a poster presentation on social media reporting.

— Dr. Michael Carter, Katrina Ho, and Zoë Kronberg will be leading interactive sessions on social media and the impact on mental health at the Youth Leaders Summit at Bentley University, in collaboration with Boston Children's Hospital’s Office of Community Health and the Atrius Health Equity Foundation.

— Kaitlin Tiches will be at the Medical Library Association Conference presenting her work on the creation and impact of the Lab's Research Briefs to highlight how medical librarians can support organizational outreach efforts by providing concise and accessible materials. Later in the month, Kaitin will lead two community webinars focused on understanding the generational gaps in media use, and digital wellbeing during the summer months.

— Sam Schwamm, Dr. David Bickham, and Cori Stott will attend the PAX East gaming conference to engage with game developers and share about the Lab's research work in this area.

— Dr. Michael Rich and Kathy Cooney will be presenting a Boston Children's CME course to medical students on problematic media use, identification, and interventions. This course will be part of the Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine Division's annual two-day lecture series on topics core to adolescent practitioners' work.

— Cori Stott will be speaking at the Boston Children's Hospital League Spring Open Meeting on the influence of digital media on children’s mental and social wellbeing, sharing tips for navigating tech conversations with kids of all ages.

— Nicole Powell and Hannah Chidekel, will be piloting youth-centered workshops during the 2025 Teton Youth Mental Health Summit in Wyoming to empower young people to better understand their online experiences, build digital resilience, and take actionable steps to support their own mental health and that of their peers.

— Brinleigh Murphy-Reuter and members of the Youth & Interactive Media Coalition at Harvard University will meet to discuss current projects and collaboration activities and to finalize plans for a July symposium to develop recommendations for AI guardrails for young children.