For the third installment of this series, we asked experts to predict how children’s play will change in the coming months and years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But because there were even more voices we wanted to capture, we decided to create a second set of posts focusing on children’s digital play. We asked our experts: 

How will—or should—the way children play with digital media change in the future due to the current pandemic? How can design cultivate kids’ physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive wellbeing through future forms of digital play?

Click the thumbnails below to read what they had to say:

• • Voices on the Future of Childhood: An overview by Lori Takeuchi
  • Part 1: One thing that must be done now
  • Part 2: What will change as a result of the pandemic
  • Part 3: The future of play
  • Part 4: The future of digital play
  • Part 5: Back to school
  • Part 6: Diversity, Belonging, and Racial Justice

For the fourth part of this series, we asked experts to focus their predictions on digital play by answering the question, “How will the way children play with digital media change in the coming months and/or years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic?”

Opening the black box of digital play

Andrew Przybylski, PhD, is a Psychologist and Associate Professor at the University of Oxford. 

Play is the fundamental activity through which humans learn, live, and adapt to the world. Across millennia, play has taken manifold forms, and subsequently each generation has debated the changes in how, with whom, and why children play. 

In recent years, however, a minority of voices have captured this discourse, centering the discussion on fears that emergent forms of play drive aggression, addiction, and ill health. 

We’ve let think pieces cast digital play and online socializing as threats. Sloppy science, scary headlines, and black box concepts like “social media” and “screen time” have undermined our appreciation of modern play. Rather than empowering families to make the most of the digital world, our anxieties have been leveraged by those who preach digital abstinence as the path well-meaning parents must tread to keep young people safe.

The realities of families living under lockdown put the lie to these misprescriptions. Few can now afford the luxury of cutting out screens altogether. Nor can they think they are keeping their children safe simply by taking smartphones away before bedtime. We need to accept that the digital genie is out of the bottle and get actively involved in the digital lives of children. 

In a world where parents are working from home and schools are closed, we have little choice but to ignore the “gurus” and face the reality of digital play. We are having to ask deeper questions about how we are all using digital technologies. There are no easy answers, but if we can open these digital black boxes together as families, there is a real chance we can reset this generation’s conversation on play. 

See more posts in this series:

Voices on the Future of Childhood

J. Alison Bryant | Andrew Przybylski | Jesse Schell | Jordan Shapiro
Juan Rubio | Katie Salen Tekinbaş | Mitchel Resnick | Tami Bhaumik

For the fourth part of this series, we asked experts to focus their predictions on digital play by answering the question, “How will the way children play with digital media change in the coming months and/or years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic?”

A call for intergenerational and inclusive digital play

J. Alison Bryant, PhD, is Senior Vice President of AARP Research.

The COVID-19 world has impacted family relationships in myriad ways, and the grandparent-grandchild bond is no exception. In some families, grandparents have become unexpected full-time caregivers and playmates, while working parents are left with no day care options. In other families, grandparents are quarantined away due to the increased risk of the virus for older adults, with lots of uncertainty about what the future will hold and when they will be able to give hugs again. In both cases, grandparents are finding new ways to play with their grandkids across digital platforms.

My optimistic side sees a future of intergenerational digital play that breaks down the barriers of distance felt by 68% of grandparents, and recognizes that play with one’s grandchildren has positive emotional, cognitive, and health impacts. New “fixes” for virtually playing together now, like games over video chat, can give rise to innovations in the digital media space. And grandparents will be empowered and supported in digital play with kids, just like the ways we try to empower and support parents in this way now.

My realist side recognizes, however, that we have a long way to go when it comes to designing inclusively for all generations. Older adults are rarely considered (or user tested!) when new products are developed for the general market, and grandparents are infrequently part of the process in designing kids’ media—unless it is a product specifically developed for them. Inclusive design for technology will be a must-have if we want to level the digital playing field for all (pun intended!).

See more posts in this series:

Voices on the Future of Childhood

J. Alison Bryant | Andrew Przybylski | Jesse Schell | Jordan Shapiro
Juan Rubio | Katie Salen Tekinbaş | Mitchel Resnick | Tami Bhaumik

For the fourth part of this series, we asked experts to focus their predictions on digital play by answering the question, “How will the way children play with digital media change in the coming months and/or years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic?”

Virtual library spaces to connect children

Juan Rubio is the Digital Media and Learning Program Manager at The Seattle Public Library.

Before COVID-19, informal learning spaces such as libraries provided children with afterschool programs that gave them in-person access not only to technology, but also to a community with whom they could explore, learn, and play—a community that, during the pandemic, they no longer have. We are learning now we must go further than that.

With creative planning, libraries can provide children with remote opportunities to play, build, experiment, and learn together with and through digital media and that make them feel part of a community while they are at home. Such remote forms of digital play should involve activities that are interactive, ask them to contribute, and are a place where they feel heard. Providing children with a virtual place to experiment and test ideas gives them a sense of purpose, and lets them recognize the library as a place where they can explore and pursue their interests.

Children form strong bonds with their peers in afterschool programs, yet staying at home because of COVID-19 has removed that opportunity. When we ask them to create, play, and explore with others virtually, we can connect them once again. We should offer these programs on a regular basis, so they get to know each other and to create a community online. Informal learning spaces have always been vital, and so we must continue creating these spaces online for children to play and come together as a community.

See more posts in this series:

Voices on the Future of Childhood

J. Alison Bryant | Andrew Przybylski | Jesse Schell | Jordan Shapiro
Juan Rubio | Katie Salen Tekinbaş | Mitchel Resnick | Tami Bhaumik

For the fourth part of this series, we asked experts to focus their predictions on digital play by answering the question, “How will the way children play with digital media change in the coming months and/or years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic?”

Kids will demand authenticity through digital play

Jordan Shapiro, PhD, is author of The New Childhood: Raising Kids to Thrive in a Connected World and a Senior Fellow at the Joan Ganz Cooney Center.

Across all age groups, children report spending more time engaged in digital play during the pandemic. And it’s not just because they’re bored or looking for an escape. It’s because closed schools and social distancing practices have transformed the entire landscape of childhood.

So many of the things that previously made claims on kids’ imaginations, shaped their habits of mind, oriented their aspirations, and constituted their social world have been upended. For instance, they’re no longer preoccupied with ongoing playground games. The everyday drama and anxiety of hallway gossip is gone. And concerns about who hangs with which of the popular kids during the weekend are now irrelevant. To worried parents, many of whom are still nursing traumatic wounds caused by their own pubescent insecurities, this may seem like a relief. But for kids, it can be difficult.

The ability to engage with a unique community in transitional spaces, apart from parents and teachers, is an important element of social-emotional growth. It plays a critical role in the development of an autonomous sense-of-self. It’s where we first explore questions of identity and agency. So, kids have no choice but to figure out how to do it in whatever context they find themselves.

Perhaps this explains why most gamers say that they’ve made new online friends during the pandemic. They’re also playing new games in different genres, and they feel like online communities have been friendlier and more helpful. Currently, the digital world is no longer a supplement to the real world. Instead, it’s the primary landscape of childhood. You can’t put that back in the bottle!

So, expect the next generation to demand more diversity, dignity, and authenticity from digital play. They’ll no longer accept the notion (which most grownups seem to believe) that the online world is a superficial, meaningless distraction from the important stuff. It’s their social reality.

See more posts in this series:

Voices on the Future of Childhood

J. Alison Bryant | Andrew Przybylski | Jesse Schell | Jordan Shapiro
Juan Rubio | Katie Salen Tekinbaş | Mitchel Resnick | Tami Bhaumik

For the fourth part of this series, we asked experts to focus their predictions on digital play by answering the question, “How will the way children play with digital media change in the coming months and/or years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic?”

A call for caring and care-full play communities

Katie Salen Tekinbaş, MFA, LHD, is a Professor in the Department of Informatics at the University of California at Irvine, as well as Chief Designer and co-founder of Connected Camps.

What does a child’s best play life look like now and post-pandemic? Shelter-in-place orders have brought this question into stark relief, as the realities of play in the real world have undergone significant revision. Many parents are looking for online spaces where their children can safely connect with friends, engage in free play, and explore their interests. Research has shown that online games like Minecraft, Roblox, and Wizards 101 can provide a safe and social haven for children looking to create and connect. I’d like to argue that COVID-19 has raised the stakes for these platforms: beyond offering a pandemic-free place to play with others, online play communities must become communities where children are cared for, and children learn, in turn, how to care for each other.

What might this look like? It might be as simple as children learning the value of being there for one another. Platforms—through their community governance structures, moderation practices, and codes of conduct, for example—can model and incentivize prosocial, caring behavior. Embedded tools and resources focused on providing support for children’s wellbeing, like mood meters or in-game peace spaces, can help scaffold caring and care-full play. Careful attention to moderation strategies can help children learn how to resolve conflict in ways that are creative and care-oriented through an emphasis on reflection and empathetic listening. These forms of care aren’t entirely selfless, at least not in the long run. Through participation in caring and care-full play communities, children will learn that they will also need care in the future, and others will be there for them.

See more posts in this series:

Voices on the Future of Childhood

J. Alison Bryant | Andrew Przybylski | Jesse Schell | Jordan Shapiro
Juan Rubio | Katie Salen Tekinbaş | Mitchel Resnick | Tami Bhaumik

For the fourth part of this series, we asked experts to focus their predictions on digital play by answering the question, “How will the way children play with digital media change in the coming months and/or years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic?”

The future of play is…bringing the world together

As VP of Digital Civility for Roblox, Tami Bhaumik leads Roblox’s groundbreaking digital civility initiative focused on providing kids, teens, parents, and caregivers with the skills needed to create positive online experiences, in partnership with the world’s leading safety and industry organizations.

COVID-19 has irreversibly changed the way that kids, teens, and their parents interact with the digital world. Screen time has become ubiquitous and a way of life where the question of “too much” is irrelevant.

Social distancing has made platforms like Roblox even more critical to enable human connection. We know that kids and teens on Roblox are especially resilient as it’s natural for them to lean into online play to connect with others and express their emotions through creation. Witnessing the platform’s integral role in supporting their mental wellbeing, we’re learning a lot from kids and teens as they use Roblox to replace milestone moments.

We find families creating virtual birthday celebrations that are more inclusive with no location or attendee boundaries and see no limits to the types of events that can be hosted online, from graduations to concerts.

Young people are also taking more responsibility for their own learning, for example, taking self-paced Learn & Explore Roblox courses to learn coding skills. This unique period is forcing parents to get more engaged and digitally savvy, thus, creating a dialogue with their kids that rarely existed before COVID-19.

We strongly believe that online play will have a leading role in the post-coronavirus world in bringing people together and shaping their social circles and knowledge. It will become the norm for meeting friends and learning together. Passive and active engagement in online play has been proven necessary for kids and teens to thrive during self-isolation, but in the future it will simply be an essential and integral part of raising resilient and savvy digital citizens.

See more posts in this series:

Voices on the Future of Childhood

J. Alison Bryant | Andrew Przybylski | Jesse Schell | Jordan Shapiro
Juan Rubio | Katie Salen Tekinbaş | Mitchel Resnick | Tami Bhaumik

For the fourth part of this series, we asked experts to focus their predictions on digital play by answering the question, “How will the way children play with digital media change in the coming months and/or years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic?”

Parents and kids will learn to play together

Jesse Schell is CEO of Schell Games and Distinguished Professor of Entertainment Technology at Carnegie Mellon University.

Videogames represent a significant divide between parents and kids. Kids are in love with the latest games, while parents are nervous that kids are wasting their time and developing bad habits. The pandemic has created a situation where tensions about videogames are front and center, as parents and kids are spending more time together than ever before. For some families, these tensions will lead to disagreements and arguments, but many families are using this time as a way to connect by playing together. Modern games are rich and complex, full of challenging problems to solve, creative ways to express yourself, and opportunities for social cooperation. Some parents are discovering that playing these games with their kids is a fabulous way to connect, spend time together, and discuss things that are important to both parents and children.

If you’d like to do this, you don’t have to be an expert. If you see your child has an interest in a game, let them lead the way. Watch what they are doing, and ask questions like:

• What are you trying to do?
• What do you like about this game?
• Do you think I would like it?
• Is there a way we can play together?

A surprising secret: children want to be able to play these games with their parents. If you show interest and you are patient, you’ll find what many families are learning—game time can be a great way to spend family time together.

See more posts in this series:

Voices on the Future of Childhood

J. Alison Bryant | Andrew Przybylski | Jesse Schell | Jordan Shapiro
Juan Rubio | Katie Salen Tekinbaş | Mitchel Resnick | Tami Bhaumik

For the fourth part of this series, we asked experts to focus their predictions on digital play by answering the question, “How will the way children play with digital media change in the coming months and/or years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic?”

Creativity, community, and kindness

Mitchel Resnick, PhD, Professor of Learning Research at the MIT Media Lab, is author of the book Lifelong Kindergarten: Cultivating Creativity through Projects, Passion, Peers, and Play.

On March 18, 2020, a member of the Scratch online coding community with username helloyowuzzup shared a project titled Acts of COVID Kindness! The project suggested ways for kids to use Scratch to make gifts for “someone who you think could use some cheering up.”

helloyowuzzup had previously created hundreds of other creative projects with Scratch, including animated stories, art contests, and collaborative music tournaments. But Acts of COVID Kindness! was her first Scratch project in three years. “Social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic has given me the combination of free time, a desire to create something, and a need to spread kindness that brought me back here,” she wrote in the project. “I’ve always been incredibly grateful for the community here that supported me in so many creative endeavors.”

The need for creativity, community, and kindness has never been greater. As today’s children grow up, they will be confronted with a never-ending stream of unknown, unexpected, and unpredictable situations. The ability to think and act creatively is more important than ever before. And the isolation, disruptions, and anxieties caused by COVID-19 have highlighted how much children crave and need community and kindness in their lives.

As we design new technologies and activities for children, we can learn from helloyowuzzup’s experience on Scratch. Rather than focusing on delivering instruction to children, let’s look for more ways to provide children with tools, support, and opportunities to express themselves creatively, as part of a community, within a culture of kindness.

See more posts in this series:

Voices on the Future of Childhood

J. Alison Bryant | Andrew Przybylski | Jesse Schell | Jordan Shapiro
Juan Rubio | Katie Salen Tekinbaş | Mitchel Resnick | Tami Bhaumik

Our colleagues at Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab are conducting a research survey to investigate the role of VR in educational strategies catered to children while families are sheltering at home as the COVID-19 pandemic progresses. If you are a parent or guardian of a child in grades K-12 and you have a VR headset at home, please consider participating! 

Governments all over the globe have decided to close schools temporarily in an attempt to slow down the spread of COVID-19. As a result of the school closure, parents are facing unprecedented challenges while juggling their own job, keeping their families safe and supervising the distance learning of their children.

Technology is playing a central role in this sudden shift into distance learning. Head-mounted display Virtual Reality (VR) has been gaining momentum in the past years by virtually enabling users to engage in activities that would otherwise be dangerous, impossible, counterproductive or expensive.

VR has been around for several decades, but only recently has the cost dropped enough to make VR a consumer-based product. Currently there is a wide range of VR headsets available ranging from the $10 VR cardboard that requires only a smartphone to the high-end headsets that run on expensive gaming-computers. As VR is becoming more mainstream, these headsets have managed to enter tens of millions of households worldwide.

The behavioral and psychological impact of VR use is studied by the Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab (VHIL).

As the pandemic unfolds, the VHIL researchers wondered about the role VR headsets play in the homeschooling of children. The Stanford team decided to launch a study on the use of VR in these households, particularly the benefits and limitations of using VR in their new learning situation. This study will inform the field of VR for education by investigating what works, and what should be improved.

In order to successfully run their study, the Stanford team is seeking parents or legal guardians, who live with one (or more) kid(s) who use VR, to fill out this survey: https://stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8G3LCFOXQo4OJkF

Participants will also have an opportunity to join the second part of the study involving four short questionnaires over a period of eight weeks. We will compensate the participants of the second part with a $30 Amazon gift card. The results of the survey will be kept confidential.

If you have any questions concerning this study, feel free to contact the VHIL scholars leading the project, Dr. Geraldine Fauville (gfauvill@stanford.edu) and Marijn Mado (mnmado@stanford.edu).