Harvard EdCast: How to Support Your Child’s Digital Life

The challenges of raising a child in the age of digital media - By Jill Anderson - March 13th, 2023

Source: Harvard Graduate School of Education

When it comes to navigating a child’s digital life, there are many challenges facing today’s parent, says Katie Davis, Ed.D.’11. While emphasis is often placed on screen time limits, Davis says this is often a simplistic approach to managing children’s digital media use and families need to go deeper.

Davis, an associate professor at the University of Washington, has long researched the impact of digital technologies on young people. In her latest work, she explores a wide range of technology and its impact on children at multiple stages of development — from toddler to 20-something. She reflects on her own experience as a parent and encourages families not to stress about the challenges of raising children in the age of digital media.

“We do our best as parents to steer our children towards positive technology experiences, and we do our best to monitor what they're doing, ultimately, the challenges are bigger than what we can solve within our family, and it really takes more than individual families to address these challenges,” Davis says. “It takes government regulation, and it takes technology companies changing their practices.”

In this episode of the EdCast, Davis talks about how children engage with technology at each stage of development and how they can best be supported.

Full story and Podcast here.

Published on www.gse.harvard.edu