Pinterest and the Digital Wellness Lab sign pledge to make internet for children safer

Pinterest and the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital are cooperating to launch an initiative to make the internet safer and healthier for children. The purpose is to promote healthy mental and emotional well-being online and offline, and calls on technology businesses to emphasize young people’s safety and well-being.

The initiative’s signatories have pledged to uphold three core principles: prioritizing well-being, actively listening to users’ concerns, and promoting transparency. They are urging social media companies to share successful practices that enhance children’s emotional wellness and instances where they have fallen short. Each signatory will create a supplementary addendum tailored to the platform’s specific circumstances. These addendums will be overseen by the Digital Wellness Lab and made publicly available to ensure accountability for the commitments made.

Dr. Michael Rich, founder, and director of the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital, stated that creating a safe internet for future generations is achievable. Still, it requires collaboration between the tech industry and users. Rich also added that the tech industry needs to design platforms and systems that prioritize safety, while users need to be educated and empowered to utilize the internet in healthier, smarter, and more compassionate ways towards one another.