Policy document
Digital Ecosystems, Children, and Adolescents: Policy Statement.
Munzer T, Parga-Belinkie J, Milkovich LM, Tomopoulos S, Ajumobi T et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This policy statement examines how digital media—including television, internet, social media, video games, and interactive assistants—affect children and adolescents. It argues that digital ecosystems designed with children's developmental needs in mind can support learning and well-being, but those prioritizing engagement and commercialization often encourage excessive use that displaces healthy behaviors like movement and sleep. The statement uses a socioecological framework to show how children's characteristics, caregivers, the digital ecosystem, and broader society all interact, and provides recommendations for families, healthcare providers, educators, industry, and policymakers.
Key points
- Digital ecosystems prioritizing engagement and commercialization can encourage prolonged use and displace healthy behaviors including movement and sleep
- When designed with children's developmental needs in mind, digital media can support learning and well-being
- The issue requires a socioecological approach examining nested circles of influence: children's characteristics, caregivers, the digital ecosystem, and broader societal systems
- Solutions must be strengthened-based and child-centered, not focused solely on individual child behaviors or screen time limits
- Recommendations are directed at multiple stakeholders: families, pediatric providers, practitioners, industry, and policymakers
Limitations
This is a policy statement that outlines frameworks and recommendations rather than presenting empirical research findings or evaluating specific interventions. It does not provide data on the prevalence or severity of specific harms, nor does it test the effectiveness of proposed solutions.
Abstract
Digital media, including television, the internet, social media, video games, and interactive assistants, form the digital ecosystem. When this digital ecosystem is designed with children's unique developmental needs in mind, it can support learning and well-being. In contrast, digital ecosystems that prioritize engagement and commercialization often encourage prolonged use, which in turn can displace healthy behaviors (eg, movement behaviors, sleep), and contribute to negative outcomes. This policy statement follows the conceptual framework of the socioecological model, depicting nested circles of care including: children's own characteristics, their caregivers, the digital ecosystem, as well as broader societal systems. Given the interconnected nature of these influences and systems, "media and children" cannot be viewed solely through the lens of individual child behaviors or screen limits alone. Recommendations are provided for families, pediatric providers, practitioners (eg, psychologists, social workers, counselors, educators, researchers), industry, and policy makers, aiming to provide strengths-based solutions and promote a more child-centered digital ecosystem.