Ina Koning

Loes Pouwels

Nastasia Griffioen

Misagh Akhondzad

Faezeh Mohammadi

Designing Digital Childhood

We host short, practical sessions for parents who want to better understand their child’s digital world and how to navigate it with more confidence.Each session focuses on real situations kids face online today, from social media and gaming to peer pressure, content exposure, and digital habits and translates them into clear insights and actionable takeaways for parents.No fear-based messaging. No complicated frameworks. Just honest conversations and practical guidance that you can apply at home.

WizeGen

Kids need more than filters. Join us to explore how we prepare them for an AI-shaped digital childhood.

Pakhuis de Zwijger

Designing Digital Childhood Why public values, not parental controls, should shape how kids grow up online Children aged 8 to 15 are growing up in a digital world that was not designed with their development in mind. They are spending time inside platforms built for adult attention markets, where content is personalized, persuasive, addictive, and increasingly shaped by AI. From synthetic media and recommendation algorithms to online friendships, influencers, group chats, and private messages, the internet children experience today is changing faster than most parents, educators, and policymakers can keep up with. For years, the dominant response has been control: parental monitoring, screen-time limits, filters, blockers, and restrictions. These tools can help. But they are not enough. Because filtering a child’s internet is not the same as preparing a child for it. On Thursday, 11 June, Pakhuis de Zwijger brings together researchers, educators, parents, and builders for an honest and hopeful conversation about what children really need to thrive online. The evening is part of the Designing Technology For All programme and focuses on a central question: How do we move from simply protecting children from the internet to preparing them for it? Why this conversation matters now Three major shifts make this discussion urgent. 1. AI is changing what children encounter online Children are no longer only consuming content made by people. They are increasingly interacting with algorithmic feeds, synthetic media, AI-generated content, persuasive systems, and digital experiences that can imitate conversation, friendship, authority, and trust. 2. Platform design is not always aligned with child development Many digital platforms are optimized for attention, engagement, sharing, profiling, and monetization. These goals can conflict with what children need developmentally: safety, autonomy, reflection, healthy identity formation, meaningful social connection, and care. 3. The public debate has become too narrow Much of the conversation focuses on restriction: how to block, monitor, limit, or control. But children also need to build the skills to recognize risk, make choices, ask for help, understand influence, and navigate online spaces when adults are not next to them. In conversation with This evening brings together different perspectives from research, public health, education, product building, and lived parenting experience. Misagh Akhondzad Founder &amp; CEO of WizeGen, building skills-first digital safety experiences for children and parents. Ina Koning Associate Professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, researching parenting, prevention, youth development, and digital media. Loes Pouwels Assistant Professor at Radboud University Nijmegen, studying young people’s digital lives, well-being, and person-specific media effects. Nastasia Griffioen Leading the Dutch Expertise Centre Digitalisation &amp; Wellbeing at Trimbos Institute, focusing on the relationship between digitalisation, youth, health, and well-being. The event is developed and moderated by Faezeh Mohammadi, Programme Lead of Designing Technology For All at Pakhuis de Zwijger. ## What we will explore During the evening, we will discuss: - What the latest research reveals about children’s online risks and opportunities- How AI is reshaping digital childhood- Why parental controls and monitoring are useful but incomplete- What children need to build judgment, confidence, agency, and resilience online- How digital environments affect children’s well-being, identity, relationships, and development- Which public values should guide digital childhood, including care, inclusivity, safety, trust, and autonomy- How parents, educators, researchers, policymakers, and builders can work together- What practical, skills-first alternatives are already being tested in the Netherlands and beyond Who this event is for This event is especially relevant for: - Parents and caregivers of children aged 8 to 15- Educators, school leaders, and youth professionals- Researchers working on youth, media, technology, AI, or child development- Policymakers and civic leaders interested in children’s rights online- Product builders, designers, and technologists working on digital safety, education, AI, or family technology- Anyone who believes children need more than protection online. They need preparation. Why attend This is not a fear-driven evening about banning technology. It is a constructive conversation about raising children who can think, pause, question, choose, and act wisely in digital spaces. Join us for an evening of research, reflection, practical examples, and hopeful dialogue about the future of digital childhood. Date: Thursday, 11 June Time: 19:30 Location: Pakhuis de Zwijger, Amsterdam Admission: Free Format: In-person and livestream

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Designing Digital Childhood

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Designing Digital Childhood

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