How to Minimize the Negative Impacts of Digital Media on Children & Teens

Aug 18, 2025

Research and suggested actions from the "Digital Media & Developing Minds International Scientific Congress", Washington DC, July 2025

Parents and educators alike are challenged with maximizing digital media use for learning, innovation and positive social connection….

…while minimizing the dangerous risks of algorithmically-guided social media engagement-maximizing platforms and financially coercive games.

That is why more than 100 scientists, researchers and other thought leaders convened at the Digital Media & Developing Minds International Scientific Congress, Washington, DC, in July 2025.

They shared papers and had discussions on 28 related topics including Brain and Cognition, Cyberbullying, Digital Addiction, Education & Learning, Mental Health, Parenting, Violent Content and 21 other related research areas.

One scary finding (of many)

“Background screen exposure at age 3.5 is associated with worse problem-solving Skills at 4.5 Years”, writes Emma Cristini PhD Candidate, Education, University of Sherbrooke, in her paper of the same title.

How do we know this to be true?

Dr. Cristini assessed 300 Canadian preschoolers at ages 3 ½ and 4 ½ years during the COVID‑19 period. During this time, parents reported daily background screen exposure for children at 3.5 years. One year later, at age 4.5 years, children’s problem‑solving abilities were evaluated (via standardized developmental assessments).

Child Problem Solving Skills Decline…

Dr. Cristini found that higher background screen exposure at 3.5 years correlated with poorer problem‑solving performance at 4.5 years. This conclusion remained consistent even after accounting for influencing factors like parental education, income, and parenting stress.

Families cannot be expected to carry the burden alone

One of the biggest conclusions at the conference was about shifting the burden of preventing digital harms away from families alone…. to upstream solutions.

“It’s time to shift the burden upstream. Families CANNOT be expected to carry this burden alone.

We need upstream solutions, including policy reform, platform accountability, and structural safeguards that proactively address the risks embedded in business models and design, rather than treated as an afterthought.”*

Shifting the burden means going to the source….tech company leaders, their business models and platform design.

What can parents, teachers and leaders do?

First, know that it’s not your fault …

…..when your children or students (and even you) seem to be over attached to screens. Digital platforms and games are not designed with human developmental needs in mind. They introduce risk and do not support thriving brains and emotions.

Second, you have the opportunity to establish behavioral norms in your family that prioritize wellbeing. As parents you can model positive use of tech as well as engage with healthy use of digital platforms together, as a family.

Third, as citizens and community members, you can advocate for policies that hold technology leaders accountable for engagement maximizing tech that has not taken into account developmental needs of children and teens.

Engage in open, collaborative dialogue

Engage on the topic of screen use culture & habits with fellow parents, friends, colleagues, community members, teachers and local government officials. Find out, what they are experiencing, thinking and doing? Share research and resources.

Start a conversation! Create space for honest, shame-free conversations about how technology is being used by children and families. Discuss the nuances of tech use in different environments such as at home, school, and community settings.

Find out more about the research presented at the July 2025 Congress.

Please see the 150 page Media-and-Minds-2025-Congress-Abstract-Booklet created for the conference for details on all papers presented with major findings. This booklet is available at www (dot) childrenandscreens (dot) org.

*Digital Media & Minds, Abstract Booklet, Digital Media & Developing Minds, page 5

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