October Highlights from Michael Preston

Dear Friends,

Happy October! The best month, in my opinion—although are we tired of pumpkin spice yet?

First things first: we were thrilled to see so many applications to our Well-Being by Design Fellowship. Thanks to all who have applied. We’ll be announcing our next cohort in December!

Now, some recent highlights:

We’re six months into the debate over Jonathan Haidt’s book The Anxious Generation. Agree or disagree with the book’s choice of data, conclusions, and recommendations, its publication kicked off an expansive dialogue drawing in professors, policymakers, parents, and pundits. Because all of us experience some form of digitally-induced feelings, it’s easy to make the leap from personal experience and observations to societal-level musings. On October 8, our colleague Candice Odgers, Professor of Psychological Science and Informatics at UC Irvine, shared the stage with Jonathan Haidt: “Making Sense of the Research on Social Media and Youth Mental Health,” hosted by UVA’s Thriving Youth in a Digital Environment initiative. Their conversation was a lively debate. We particularly appreciated the questions posed by the young people in the room. 

Because we are deeply invested in how digital products are made for kids, we monitor new approaches to supporting well-being and safety for kids (and all people). This month saw several announcements about design-based opportunities to improve user experience and spur additional thinking and research:

• Meta’s release of Instagram for Teens brings long-awaited protections and controls for kids aged 13-17. The rollout will soon affect millions of young people around the world and kick off new, and we hope productive, conversations in households, and better online experiences for all.
• Pinterest’s engineering team, as part of their company-wide commitment to the Inspired Internet Pledge, recently published a Field Guide to Non-Engagement Signals that helps social platforms focus on user well-being by prioritizing quality content and long-term user retention.

And now that we are a month or two into the school year, we’re hearing more and more about the phones in schools. While education systems around the world are considering cell phone restrictions and outright bans, the LSE and 5Rights Digital Futures for Children joint research center is advancing the debate by reviewing the evidence on the efficacy of such policies in the UK, Singapore, and Colombia. See their newly published report and companion blog post. As with any digital product or service used by children, the key is to balance opportunity and risk.

Now, please read on for some news from the Joan Ganz Cooney Center!

 

Michael Preston
Executive Director