Source: The LEGO Group

UNICEF and the LEGO Group have joined forces to form the Responsible Innovation in Technology for Children project. Funded by the LEGO Foundation, the project seeks to create practical tools for businesses and governments that will empower them to put kids’ well-being at the center of digital design, in a digital age when technology has become increasingly present in kids’ formative years.

As part of the project, UNICEF and Western Sydney University launched a new research study developed through workshops with more than 300 kids from 13 countries, as well as an analysis of survey data from 34,000 kids ages 9-17 from 30 countries. 

The report contains a new well-being framework made up of eight kid-centric outcomes: competence, creativity, emotional regulation, self-actualization, safety and security, digital inclusion, empowerment, and social connection. Tech developers and policymakers can use this framework to design digital products and services for kids, as well as the laws that govern them. Governments and regulators can access the report here.

Related: The LEGO Group Meets Growing Demand with a Factory Expansion in China

“Digital play experiences help [kids] de-stress, problem solve, build confidence, resilience and a sense of belonging, provided that we properly balance its opportunities against the risk of harm,” says Fayaz King, UNICEF’s deputy executive director of field results and innovation. “Working together with the LEGO Group — and directly with [kids] themselves — we spotlight tools and opportunities for industry and policymakers that raise the bar on how digital innovation can put the rights and well-being of [kids] first.”

In the next phase of the project, research teams from New York University, The City University of New York, the University of Sheffield, and the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child will apply multiple research methods to understand how different digital play experiences impact kids’ well-being outcomes.

About the author

Khue Nguyen

Khue Nguyen

Khue (Ken) Nguyen is an Editorial Intern at the Toy Insider, the Toy Book and the Pop Insider, where he helps cover the latest news in toys and pop culture. He’s also a part-time editor for a local newspaper in Columbia, Missouri. As a self-proclaimed Asian foodie, Ken enjoys roaming the downtown area of Columbia looking for a steaming bowl of noodle soup or a sizzling plate of stir fry whenever he’s not working.

archivearrow-chevron-downarrow-chevron-left-greyarrow-chevron-leftarrow-chevron-rightarrow-fatarrow-left-blackarrow-left-whitearrow-right-blackarrow-rightarrow-roundedbookscalendarcaret-downclose-whiteclosedocumenteditorial-archiveeyefacebook-squarefacebookfilesgifthamburgerheadinghearthomeinstagram-squareinstagramlatestlinkedin-squarelinkedinmailmedia-inquiresmessagenewsopen-boxpagination-leftpagination-rightpauseplayprintproduct-archiverecent-productssearchsharesort-filterspotifysunteamtiktoktime_purpletimetrendingtvtwitter-squaretwitteryoutube