Engaging, safe, and evidence-based: What science tells us about how to promote positive development and decrease risk in online spaces

Early adolescents (ages 10-13 years) increasingly spend their time in digital spaces. We must ensure that the digital spaces that we create for early adolescents support their learning, discovery, exploration, and entertainment in positive ways that limit potential harm, just like the physical spaces where they spend their time. Research supports four evidence-based recommendations: 1) Digital technology should scaffold healthy development and promote wellness. 2) Digital technology should have design and use requirements that make it safe for early adolescents. 3) Digital technology used by early adolescents should incorporate and advance the best available research as part of its design and evaluation process. 4) All early adolescents should have reliable access to the level of digital connectivity and devices required to fully participate in their education and learning. We can design and regulate the digital technology used by young people in ways that support their healthy development and help them thrive as they make the transition from childhood into early adolescence and the larger digital world.