Children's digital play and wellbeing

This report presents the findings of family case study research investigating childrenʼs digital play and well-being. This study was one of three empirical studies within Phase 2 of the Responsible Innovation in Technology for Children (or ʻRITECʼ) project. The RITEC project was co-founded by UNICEF and the LEGO Group in 2019 and is funded by the LEGO Foundation. It is an international, multi-stakeholder and cross-sectoral collaboration which aims to create insights and evidence for policymaking along with practical tools for businesses that will empower all sectors to put the well-being of children at the centre of digital design. In Phase 1 of the RITEC project, an interim subjective well-being framework was developed, wherein subjective well-being was conceptualised in relation to three overarching and interrelated categories: (1) a childʼs experiences of how they feel about themselves, such as their sense of purpose, feelings of autonomy and competence; (2) a childʼs perceptions of the relationships they have with others, such as their parents or carers, teachers and peers; and (3) a childʼs perceptions of the environment(s) they live in. Along with the findings from Phase 1, and the findings of the other Phase 2 research studies, the findings of this study will inform the future design of digital play experiences for children.

This study, referred to as the ʻecocultural case study researchʼ (or sometimes the ʻfamily case studiesʼ) sought to explore childrenʼs engagements with digital play experiences - both general and specific - as part of their broader, everyday lives, in order to identify the ways in which particular dimensions of childrenʼs subjective well-being are related to their digital play experiences at home. It also sought to interrogate the mechanisms for those relationships and the implications of a diverse range of contextual factors for those relationships. It did so across four countries: the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia and Cyprus. This study paid attention to both childrenʼs existing digital play choices and experiences and their experiences with one of two digital games introduced during the course of the fieldwork. In Stage 1 of this study, the game that was introduced was World of Goo (2D Boy). In Stage 2 of this study, the game that was introduced was LEGO Builderʼs Journey (Light Brick Studio). Both games are apps and can be played on tablets and smartphones.

Approach and analysis

The study adopted a range of qualitative methods, including in-person interviews and observations and family-led data generation and sharing, within a case study design. It was informed by ecocultural and ethnographic approaches and was semi-longitudinal. In total, 240 research visits were made to 50 families in 4 countries, across 14 months. The study was designed to be delivered as similarly as desirable in each country, whilst paying very close attention to specific geopolitical differences and sensitivities and individual participant needs. As such, there were some particular differences in the approaches employed in different countries and different families. The research tools were adapted appropriately for different country and family contexts. The way technology was introduced to families as part of the methodology was also different in some cases, a topic which is explored in more depth in Section 1.8. Analysis of the various types of qualitative data followed a combined deductive-inductive approach. The inductive coding was guided by a coding framework designed for the project. Analysis summaries were produced and discussed between countries. Researchers drew on inductive codes, nexus maps, analysis summaries and discussions as the basis for writing the present report.