The Center for Digital Thriving is creating knowledge & resources to help with tech.
Building Digital Agency
The Center for Digital Thriving is a research and innovation center based at Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Our team develops resources and research to build digital agency, especially for youth.
Evidenced-Based Resources
Teens have told us how being left “on Read” can lead to a negative spiral (“they must be mad at me”; “I’m such an idiot!”); how scrolling social media can spark thoughts like “everyone has more friends than me.” So, we worked with an interdisciplinary team — and teens — to create resources that build on insights from cognitive behavioral therapy. (Check out this short video; our thinking traps glossary; and the lesson plan we made with Common Sense Education). It’s just one example of how we’re creating evidence-based resources based on what we learn from listening to teens.
The Right Questions
We’ve also learned that some of the best conversations about tech don’t actually start with tech at all. They start with questions about who we are, what we value, and how we want to live. Our tech + values sequence is designed based on this insight. Try your own Values Sort with our app.
We know that no single resource is going to change your (or your teen’s) entire relationship with tech. This needs to be one piece of a puzzle that includes policy change and tech design that prioritizes teen well-being over attention.
Digital Thriving, Designated Driving?
What if we regard our society as still in the early days of learning to live with modern technology? This pushes us to consider what kinds of supports, safeguards, and skills are needed. What special considerations are warranted kids? What kinds of guardrails will help us all? Imagine the earliest days of automobiles, before licenses, speed limits, driver’s ed, and more. Before practices like “designated drivers.” This metaphor is fueling our listening tour on digital thriving.