What Does Responsible Innovation For Children Look Like?

When TALES began its mission of creating gamified space for young minds to explore the world around us, we knew that studying developing technologies would become a large part of the process. 

UNICEF Innocenti is a Global Office of Research and Foresight that studies how children and young people interact with the online space and aims to inform policy and advocacy that will eventually help UNICEF and the global community protect the lives and rights of children, young people and families.

Recent research that was gathered caught our eye, and we wanted to share our favourite insights. 

In this study, it’s observed that children are spending an increasing amount of time in digital spaces—amplified greatly since the COVID-19 pandemic limited offline interactions for around two years in most countries. With this shift online at a young age, we have to find ways and understand how this shift can equip children and support their success well into adulthood. Gen Alpha have never known a life without the internet, in fact they’ve never known life before the iPad. Where older generations learned how the internet began and the hurdles it overcame, young people these days don’t have this experience under their belts. 

We all agree that the online world is a great equaliser and is an enormous playground of opportunity. But looking at the benefits doesn’t negate the truth that life online still holds elements that need to be enhanced to provide play in a protected and safe environment. In order to find solutions, first the crucial questions need to be asked: “How should we recognize the opportunities and benefits of digital technology for children’s well-being? What is the relationship between the design of digital experiences – in particular, play-centred design – and the well-being of children? What guidance and measures can we use to strengthen the design of digital environments to promote positive outcomes for children? And how can we make sure that children’s insights and needs inform the foundation of our work in this space?” 

These questions don’t just apply to our work in multimedia creations—most recently, our WoU Game, they are key questions for any digital creator whose work will be found and engaged with by young people online. With these in mind, digital spaces can be created with safety, fun and education at the forefront of the work. While these things are being studied, researchers also have to keep in mind that each and every day the technology is also developing. This might seem like chasing their own tail to some, but as the makers of WoU we see it only as new ways to reach more people. When creators lean into new technologies instead of, maybe more instinctually, pulling away, we have even more doors that can be opened to bring our vision to life. 

This project’s primary objective is to develop, with children from around the world, a framework that maps how the design of children’s digital experiences affects their well-being, and to provide guidance as to how informed design choices can promote positive outcomes. Three initiatives were launched to source their results and centred around the impact games can have when applied in varying scenarios.

At the same time, not all games are equal: different games support different aspects of personal development depending on how they are designed. The research identified 11 ‘digital play drivers’—deep interests, needs and desires of children that games can respond to if designed for it, through different features or game mechanics. 

These play drivers are crucial when building a game and help remind and reinforce the goals of gameplay in young people. Our workshops have allowed us to collaborate with young creators to gain even further insights in how and why young people play—and how stories and mythology can translate into educational moments. By going to the source—young people, and places rich in lore—we have developed our work hand-in-hand with the very people who we want to inspire most. 

If you’d like to learn more about the UNICEF Innocenti report, you can download it here. It’s well worth a read if you are a parent or guardian with questions surrounding the ever-expanding digital future we’re entering. In our next piece we will take a look at what digital play drivers are, and how understanding them points young people in the right direction as they continue to explore the world wide web.