Early Childhood
Educators and advocates are working to create programs, projects, and resources that help teachers, childcare providers, and parents identify the risks of screen use in early childhood environments. One of the first projects is creating a “Screen-Free” or “Screen Aware” designation for schools that maintain play, nature, and physical activity as priorities for early childhood settings.
Mental Health
This work group aims to raise awareness of how excessive screen time, age-inappropriate content, and intentional design choices made by Big Tech are significant contributors fueling the youth mental health crisis. This group also seeks to shine a light on conflicts of interest rife in research in this space. Past projects include a letter to the American Psychological Association (APA) regarding the unethical practice of persuasive design to increase kids' use of ad-supported devices.
Screens in Schools
This group works on specific solutions that parents and teachers can use to advocate for limited screen use in schools. Topics such as "personalized learning," the gamification of education, and corporate-sponsored digital curricula are addressed. This group recently released the acclaimed Screens in Schools Action Kit, to help parents and teachers advocate against edtech overuse.
Parent Professionals
If you are a professional who works with parents, you can’t help but be aware that the child’s screen use is a major issue for families. This group, composed of parent coaches and parent educators, works together to create programs, resources, talking points, and fact sheets that professionals can use and share with parents about the impact of screen use and how to set boundaries and create solutions that preserve childhood and relationships.
Interfaith
This group supports all faith traditions that wish to understand how media is shaping children’s spiritual lives. They work to empower people to approach leadership in their churches, mosques, synagogues, and other places of worship, many of whom have not considered the amount of time their youth are spending with digital devices rather than with their families and friends.
Online Harms Prevention
This group works to promote a new agenda where kids' rights to a safe digital media experience is paramount. Work group members recognize the threats to kids' health and safety posed by online harms including cyberbullying and dangerous online challenges among others, and work to hold tech companies accountable, educate families and teachers, and more.
Nature and Play
This group's focus is on helping kids develop a stronger relationship with nature as an antidote to media dependence. This group shares high-quality videos and articles about the link between screen time and nature deficit disorder.