Children & Technology

Children today are growing up in a world deeply shaped by digital media, artificial intelligence, and connected technologies. While these tools influence how children communicate and make sense of their surroundings, we are still uncovering the full extent of the opportunity and impact on overall development and well-being.

At EDC, we do this by studying how technology can be a powerful catalyst for learning alongside the role adults must play to make these digital tools and experiences meaningful. Our work goes beyond access, edtech and digital learning experiences, to include a focus on digital and media literacy as essential 21st-century skills. We empower children and their parents to move from being passive consumers to active, critical creators who can navigate, evaluate, and contribute to the digital world with agency. Our work spans homes, early childhood centers, schools, and after-school programs, always placing the child and their development at the center.

In this way, and for more than 40 years, EDC has focused on this bridge between developmental science and digital innovation in partnership with media and technology companies, schools, developers, and policymakers. Our goal is simple: to ensure that as new technologies emerge, they strengthen the relationships and play at the heart of learning, rather than replace them.