Name

Digital Wellness Lab

Legal name

Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children's Hospital

Website

https://digitalwellnesslab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Digital Wellness Research

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Health, Wellness & Patient Communities (MPACAJAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Telehealth & Digital Wellness Services (EDALAFAM), Meditation Apps, Digital Courses & Online Communities (HSADAJAH)

Keywords

• Youth digital wellness research
• Adolescent screen time research
• Family digital wellness guides
• Media use research briefs
• Problematic interactive media use

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Digital Wellness Lab is a nonprofit research center that conducts and disseminates academic research on the relationship between digital media and youth mental, social, and emotional wellbeing. It produces Pulse Surveys, Research Briefs, Family Digital Wellness Guides, the 5 M's of Digital Wellness framework, and industry recommendations for technology companies, all distributed free of charge through its website.

Product overview

The Digital Wellness Lab operates as a nonprofit research center at Boston Children's Hospital, producing research-based products rather than a commercial software platform. Its portfolio centers on Pulse Surveys (periodic research on teen digital media use), Research Briefs (condensed research findings), and the Family Digital Wellness Guide along with Family Guides (practical age-appropriate resources). The 5 M's of Digital Wellness provides a framework for teaching healthy device use. Supporting initiatives include the Inspired Internet Pledge (tech company commitment), Student Advisory Council (youth engagement), Youth & Interactive Media Coalition, and the Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders (clinical services). The Teen Voices content series amplifies youth perspectives. All offerings are distributed through the website and are non-commercial in nature.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Inspired Internet Pledge: A pledge initiative aimed at making the internet a healthier place for young people using principles of emotional wellbeing, listening, and sharing, with tech companies as signatories.
• Youth & Interactive Media Coalition
• Amplify Youth
• Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders (CIMAID)
• Student Advisory Council

Products and services

• Pulse Surveys Periodic research surveys examining how young people engage with digital media and technology, providing timely insights on emerging trends such as teen AI chatbot use and sense of belonging. Distributed free of charge as part of the lab's research mission.
• Research Briefs Condensed summaries of research findings on technology use and youth wellbeing, covering topics such as technology's impact on brain development during early childhood.
• Family Digital Wellness Guide A comprehensive guide offering age-appropriate advice for parents and caregivers on helping children develop healthy relationships with technology and digital media.
• The 5 M's of Digital Wellness A framework consisting of Model, Mentor, Monitor, Mastery, and Meaning—designed to teach children and families how to use devices in a positive, intentional, and healthy way.
• Family Guides Practical guides for families addressing specific digital wellness topics such as navigating summertime screentime, providing actionable tips for different age groups.
• Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders (CIMAID) A specialized clinic within Boston Children's Hospital providing clinical services for children and adolescents experiencing issues related to interactive media and internet use.
• Pulse Survey: How Teens Are Using AI to Learn, Create, and Connect A specific Pulse Survey report examining how teens in the US, Brazil, and France use AI chatbots for learning, creating, and connecting.
• Pulse Survey on Belonging A Pulse Survey examining belonging and connection among U.S. adolescents aged 13-17.
• Recommendations for Industry: Designing AI Chatbots for Adolescent Users A research-based report providing industry recommendations for designing AI chatbots appropriate for adolescent users, targeting technology companies and platform designers.
• HappyB2.0 Study A long-form research study investigating which social media experiences promote adolescents' mental well-being, including happiness and loneliness, funded by NICHD and co-led with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Education Development Center.
• Inspired Internet Pledge A pledge and commitment initiative encouraging tech companies to create healthier digital environments for young people, with signatories including various technology companies.
• Student Advisory Council A program engaging high school students as advisors to provide youth perspectives on digital wellness topics, producing content through the Teen Voices series.
• Youth & Interactive Media Coalition A coalition at Harvard University focused on understanding and promoting healthy interactions between youth and interactive media.

Quantifiable outcome

• Brazilian teens report highest AI adoption with 46% daily use and 70% saying AI is moderately or very important in daily lives
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaborator on the HappyB2.0 Study investigating the daily effects of online versus in-person interactions on teen wellbeing. Dr. Laura Marciano, Research Associate at Harvard, co-leads the study alongside Digital Wellness Lab researchers.
• Education Development Center (EDC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaborator on the HappyB2.0 Study, bringing expertise in education research and adolescent development to the multi-institutional research team.
• Boston Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital Wellness Lab is a nonprofit research center and integral part of Boston Children's Hospital, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The hospital provides institutional affiliation, infrastructure, and clinical expertise, enabling the Lab to conduct research through one of the nation's top pediatric hospitals.
• Harvard Medical SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHarvard Medical School Teaching Hospital affiliation provides academic rigor and credibility to the research conducted by Digital Wellness Lab, connecting the organization to world-class medical research resources and expertise.
• Youth & Interactive Media Coalition at HarvardsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition focused on youth and interactive media at Harvard University. Digital Wellness Lab participates in this coalition alongside collaborators working on advancing progress on issues impacting youth in the digital age.
• Inspired Internet Pledge SignatoriessecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnology companies including Snap and Wipro that have signed the Inspired Internet Pledge, committing to create a safer and healthier digital ecosystem for young people based on the Lab's principles of emotional wellbeing, listening, and sharing.
• Snap (Snapchat)secondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerSignatory to the Inspired Internet Pledge. Snap has developed The Keys digital literacy program and works with Digital Wellness Lab's principles to promote healthier social media experiences for young people.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Common Sense Media: Nonprofit organization providing research, ratings, and family-facing resources on children's media use. Highly comparable as a fellow nonprofit with a mission centered on evidence-based guidance for families and the tech industry on youth digital wellness.
• Hopelab: Nonprofit social innovation lab focused on the mental health and wellbeing of young people, including the effects of technology. Comparable in mission, nonprofit structure, and youth-mental-health focus, with overlapping research-to-product translational work.
• Child Mind Institute: Independent nonprofit combining clinical care, research, and public education focused on children's mental health. Comparable in combining research outputs with clinical services and family-facing educational resources, similar to the Lab's CIMAID plus publication model.
• Center for Humane Technology: Nonprofit research and advocacy organization studying the impact of technology on human wellbeing. Comparable as a mission-aligned nonprofit producing research and industry recommendations aimed at redesigning digital experiences for wellbeing.
• Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop: Independent research and innovation lab at Sesame Workshop conducting research on children's learning in the digital age. Comparable as a research organization producing evidence on how media and technology affect child development, with family-facing dissemination.

Broad incumbents

• MIT Media Lab: Academic research lab at MIT studying human interaction with technology, including projects on children, learning, and digital wellbeing. Comparable in conducting influential research on technology's societal impact but as a large academic institution with far broader scope.
• Sesame Workshop: Large nonprofit media and educational organization producing children's content with associated research. Comparable in the children-and-media space but operates at a substantially larger scale with broader scope including content production and global reach.
• Pew Research Center: Nonprofit public opinion and demographic research organization with ongoing studies on teens, technology, and social media. Comparable as a research-driven nonprofit producing influential public data on youth digital behavior but operating at significantly broader scope.
• American Academy of Pediatrics: Major professional association publishing pediatric clinical guidance, including policy statements on children and media use. Comparable in producing authoritative guidance on youth digital wellness but as a broad professional body rather than a dedicated research center.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/digital-wellness-lab
• Pinterestpinterest.com/digitalwellnesslab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Digital Wellness Lab