Children and Screens

Name

Children and Screens

Legal name

Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development

Website

https://childrenandscreens.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Child Development Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

akta.pro primary industry

Kids & Family Curated Content Platforms (MPACAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Developmental Screening & Assessment (0–5) (EDACAFAA)

Keywords

• Child development research
• Digital media education
• Nonprofit research institute
• Parenting resources
• Screen time research

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: The organization relies on donations from individuals who support its mission to help children lead healthy lives in a digital world. The website features a 'Donate Now' option for one-time or recurring gifts.
2. Research Grants: Children and Screens operates an Interdisciplinary Research Grants Program that provides seed funding to support cutting-edge scientific research on digital media and child development. The organization has awarded over $1 million in grants including a $300,000 grant for research on parental phone use impacts on infant development.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Children and Screens is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research institute that synthesizes and disseminates interdisciplinary scientific research on digital media's impact on child development. It operates as a knowledge hub, producing and curating free educational resources including the Screen Deep podcast, the #AskTheExperts webinar series, parenting tip sheets, research summaries, expert consensus decisions, an open-access academic handbook, and a competitive seed grants program for academic researchers.

Product overview

Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development is a nonprofit educational organization offering a suite of research-based resources and programs focused on understanding digital media's impact on child development. The organization's portfolio includes the Screen Deep podcast (Webby-nominated expert interviews), the #AskTheExperts webinar series (award-nominated interdisciplinary panels), Parenting Tip Sheets (practical parent guidance), Research-at-a-Glance (two-page research summaries), the Evidence Council—Decisions (expert vote-based consensus statements), the open-access Handbook of Children and Screens (comprehensive academic resource with 3.4M+ downloads), and an Interdisciplinary Research Grants Program (seed funding up to $150,000). These offerings work together to translate scientific research into actionable guidance for parents, educators, policymakers, and researchers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Screen Deep Podcast A Webby-nominated podcast featuring 30-40 minute deep dives with experts decoding young brains and behavior in a digital world. Episodes are freely available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and Pandora, reaching audiences in 100 countries. Aimed at parents, educators, clinicians, and the general public.
• #AskTheExperts Webinar Series A Webby-nominated, free, on-demand webinar series bringing together interdisciplinary panels of experts across education, public health, child development, psychology, psychiatry, and advocacy to address pressing issues on digital media's impacts on child development. 124,000+ viewers and 65+ recordings available on the YouTube channel.
• Parenting Tip Sheets Research-based, free practical guidance documents for parents and caregivers on managing children's digital media use, covering topics such as body image, digital addiction, AI safety, sharenting, and video gaming. Distributed via the organization's website.
• Research-at-a-Glance Two-page research snapshots summarizing current research on digital media and child development topics including AI, sleep, body image, and data privacy. Free resources accessible via the website.
• Evidence Council Decisions Concise, vote-based consensus statements from the Evidence Council composed of researchers and clinicians from the Scientific Advisory Board, reflecting expert consensus on major issues affecting children's digital lives (e.g., smartphone bans in schools, AI companion permissions for minors). Free public access.
• Handbook of Children and Screens A comprehensive academic handbook titled 'Handbook of Children and Screens: Digital Media, Development, and Well-Being from Birth Through Adolescence' published by Springer Nature. Available as an open-access download, with 3.4 million downloads, targeted at researchers, clinicians, and educators.
• Interdisciplinary Research Grants Program Competitive seed funding program that awards grants (up to $150,000 each, including $300,000 multi-investigator awards) to interdisciplinary scientific teams conducting research on digital media and child development. Over $1 million in grants awarded to date. Targeted at academic researchers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 28 million parents, educators, and clinicians reached via social media in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• iRaisecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026Children and Screens' Senior Research Coordinator Dr. Daniel Hipp co-authored an official G-7 report on GenAI impacts on child development with iRaise, demonstrating international research collaboration on emerging technology issues affecting children.
• The Tech Oversight ProjectminorOthers · 2 February 2026Children and Screens shared resources and research from The Tech Oversight Project's report on teen addiction and Big Tech practices, contributing to public understanding of social media accountability issues.
• 5Rights FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Baroness Beeban Kidron, Chair of 5Rights Foundation, featured in Children and Screens content advocating for children's digital rights. The organizations share missions around creating safer digital environments for children and collaborating on policy initiatives.
• Centre for Healthy Screen Use (Canadian Paediatric Society)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership to distribute the Centre for Healthy Screen Use Community Toolkit, providing Canadian families with evidence-based resources on managing children's screen time and digital media use.
• ReThink Citizens Youth CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Children and Screens supports ReThink Citizens Youth Coalition's youth-led initiatives addressing AI harms on democracy, featuring Advisory Board member Desmond Upton Patton, PhD.
• Safe AI for Children Alliance (SAIFCA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Tara Steele, Director of SAIFCA, participated as a speaker in Children and Screens' AI Companions webinar, contributing expertise on AI safety for children.
• Federal Trade Commission (FTC)coreOthers · 1 January 2026Children and Screens serves as a resource for FTC policymakers, providing evidence-based research and expertise to inform regulatory decisions on children's digital safety and platform accountability.
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)coreOthers · 1 January 2026Children and Screens maintains relationships with NIH to educate and inform leaders on the increasing role of media in children's lives and the need for focused research on child development impacts.
• Project EMBRACE Research TeamflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 January 2024$300,000 grant awarded to interdisciplinary team including Brandon T. McDaniel, PhD (Parkview Health), Alison K. Ventura, PhD (California Polytechnic State University), Lara N. Wolfers, PhD (University of Amsterdam), Sarah M. Coyne, PhD (Brigham Young University), and Adam M. Galovan, PhD (University of Alberta) for research on parental phone use and infant development.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Joan Ganz Cooney Center: Research and innovation lab within Sesame Workshop that conducts interdisciplinary research on children, media, and learning. Operates an analogous model of producing research, convening experts, and disseminating findings to educators, policymakers, and the public.
• Cyberbullying Research Center: Research organization producing evidence-based resources on cyberbullying, digital safety, and youth online behavior. Comparable in scope of producing research summaries, tip sheets, and parent resources for the children-and-digital-media audience.
• 5Rights Foundation: International advocacy organization developing regulatory frameworks and policy solutions for children's digital rights, founded by Baroness Beeban Kidron. Already a Children and Screens partner; directly comparable in combining research, policy advocacy, and a global remit on children and digital media.
• Common Sense Media: Independent nonprofit that rates and reviews media and technology for children and families, providing parents and educators with evidence-based guidance on screen time, content suitability, and digital wellness. Closest direct peer given shared mission of translating research into family-facing guidance.
• Digital Wellness Lab (Boston Children's Hospital): Hospital-affiliated research initiative producing evidence-based guidance on the effects of digital media on young people. Directly comparable as an academic-clinical research hub focused on translating science into youth and family-facing recommendations.

Broad incumbents

• American Academy of Pediatrics: Largest U.S. professional association of pediatricians, issuer of widely cited screen-time and digital media guidance for families and clinicians. Operates as a broad incumbent whose recommendations overlap substantially with Children and Screens' clinical audience resources.
• National PTA: Large U.S. parent-teacher association advocating on children's issues including digital safety, screen time, and online wellbeing. Broad incumbent with substantial educator reach that intersects with Children and Screens' educator segment.
• Sesame Workshop: Global nonprofit producing educational media for children and operating the Joan Ganz Cooney Center. Broad incumbent that combines children's content production with research and advocacy relevant to children's media use.

Emerging players

• ParentsTogether Action: Parent-led advocacy organization active on child online safety, kids' data privacy, and platform accountability. Comparable in mobilizing parents and amplifying research in policymaking contexts, though less research-focused.

Regional players

• Internet Matters: UK-based nonprofit providing resources and policy advocacy to help families keep children safe online. Operates in adjacent regulatory territory (UK AADC, Online Safety Act) with overlapping mission and target audience of parents, educators, and policymakers.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/childrenscreens
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCcaD_FWQXEBWe-I6p9U4xlw
• Facebookfacebook.com/childrenandscreens
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/children-and-screens
• Instagraminstagram.com/childrenandscreens/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Children and Screens