At the Digital Wellness Lab, we focus on researching how digital experiences shape young people’s lives. Today, we’re excited to share details about our ongoing projects, which build on key questions raised in our frequent Pulse Surveys of teens and parents.
Our research highlights critical areas that impact young people’s wellbeing, including:
Adolescent Social Media Use
Studying the influence of social platforms on self-esteem, identity formation, and mental health.
Emerging AI Technologies
Determining how AI is shaping children’s and adolescents’ learning, relationships, and overall wellbeing.
Social Gaming
Understanding how gaming affects social interactions, emotional wellbeing, and childhood development.
Problematic Interactive Media Use (PIMU)
Exploring the risks of excessive screen time and the potential for addiction-like behaviors in young users.
Through rigorous academic research, amplifying youth voices, and collaborating with leaders in technology, healthcare, policy, and education, we strive to drive meaningful change. Our goals are twofold: to empower tech leaders to build a healthier digital ecosystem and to equip young people, families, educators, and clinicians with the knowledge and tools they need to engage with digital technology and media in healthy, balanced ways. You can learn more about our ongoing research here.
Thank you for joining us in shaping a future that prioritizes the wellbeing of the next generation. 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
Congratulations to the Lab’s Dr. Zhiying (Zoey) Yue!
🏆 Dr. Zhiying (Zoey) Yue, Scientist and Instructor at Harvard Medical School, was awarded the 2025 Charles E. Irwin, Jr. New Investigator Award from the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM). The award recognizes one individual every year that demonstrates research excellence to promote the development, synthesis, and dissemination of scientific and scholarly knowledge unique to the development and healthcare needs of adolescents.
Dr. Yue’s research, Gaming Alone Together: The Role of Loneliness and Social Anxiety in Adolescent Video Gaming Behaviors, explores the deep connections between teen mental health and gaming habits. These findings challenge the idea that screen time alone is the issue—instead, we must focus on how and with whom teens engage with in digital spaces.
Resources for Parents & Caregivers
Conversations with Clinicians
Dr. Anna Kirillova talks about the importance of teaching kids that the internet and media are tools for the world, but are not the world itself.
In April, we’re focused on launching new educational resources, hosting interactive workshops, and collaborating with experts to develop innovative and timely strategies for youth wellbeing:
— The Lab team will be participating in the Massachusetts Governor's Healthy Youth Summit focused on equipping high school students with practical tools for healthy relationships with their peers, family members, and the broader community. Local youth and their adult chaperones are invited & encouraged to attend! Learn more and register here.
— The Lab’s founder and director, Dr. Michael Rich will be sharing practical guidance from his book, The Mediatrician's Guide, at the The Wellness Institute's Youth Mental Health Series and in a presentation to the families and educators of New York’s Horace Mann School.
— The Lab’s Medical Librarian & Knowledge Manager, Kaitlin Tiches will be joining the Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance's Spotlight Speaker Series to deliver a presentation, The Age of AI: Navigating AI’s Risks and Benefits for Youth.
— Dr. Rich will be moderating a panel exploring young people's experiences of aggression online, including cyberbullying, hate speech, and violence as part of the Children & Screens' Ask the Experts Webinar Series.
— The 2024-2025 Digital Wellness Student Advisory Council cohort will be sharing their takeaways and experiences with tech and media industry and healthcare leaders at their year-end presentations.
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All information included in this newsletter is for educational purposes only. For medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your health care provider.
