On May 19, 2026 the Joan Ganz Cooney Center celebrated our third cohort of Well-Being by Design Fellows with a webinar bringing together designers, researchers, game developers, educators, and media creators to explore how digital experiences can better support children’s well-being.
Each of our nine fellows took turns sharing about their work, which spanned children’s museums projects, AI literacy tools, XR learning experiences, virtual schooling, games for neurodivergent youth, family creative coding, and digital platforms for young children. They spoke about how inspired they were to learn about the Responsible Innovation in Technology for Children (RITEC) framework and applying it to their work, as well as the importance of co-designing with young people, and balancing digital and physical experiences. Several participants noted that the fellowship helped shift the concept of well-being from an abstract aspiration to something measurable and actionable within product design and research.
Throughout the fellowship period, the Youth Design Team worked directly with fellows to offer feedback on products and ideas. All of our fellows emphasized how transformative these conversations were in their products: the teenagers advocated for more tactile and shared experiences, thoughtful uses of AI, and technology that supports learning and creativity rather than replacing human connection or skill-building. Fellows noted that the youth participants discussed screen time, online safety, unhealthy platform design patterns, and the need for intentional digital experiences that foster curiosity, connection, and well-being rather than passive consumption, particularly in products designed for younger children.
The event concluded with a conversation about bringing these ideas into future practice. Fellows shared how they plan to integrate co-design, well-being metrics, and youth-centered research methods into their organizations and products.
Watch the video below, and stay tuned for case studies from each of our fellows later this summer!
