Rethinking Online Safety: Empowering Teens and Communities through Sociotechnical Design
Overview
This proposal tackles pressing challenges in teen well-being and online safety by designing social technologies that support healthy teen-mobile technology relationships. Guided by Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1977), we pursue four research objectives spanning from individual behaviors to societal narratives. Our systems-oriented approach enables the creation of integrated sociotechnical systems that are meaningful, socially grounded, and culturally responsive (Sawyer & Jarrahi, 2013).
Objectives
- Support Teen Self-Regulation and Reflective Mobile Use (Microsystem – Individual/Peer Level): We design mobile-based tools with teens to promote intentional phone use while fostering autonomy and agency. These tools provide reflective prompts and peer-based nudges that encourage teens to pause and reflect on their digital habits.
- Foster Dialogic, Trust-Centered Relationships Between Teens and Parents (Mesosystem – Interpersonal/Household Level): To strengthen family relationships, we create interactive domestic tools that facilitate joint reflection, shared boundary-setting, and mutual understanding. Rather than enforcing surveillance, these tools support trust and empathy in negotiating screen use together.
- Leverage Community Knowledge Through Peer Mentorship and Intergenerational Dialogue (Exosystem – Community Level): We develop systems that share situated insights from older teens (ages 16–19) and elders. These foster peer mentorship and storytelling across generations, cultivating digital resilience and a sense of shared responsibility for well-being.
- Reframe Narratives and Embed Cultural Nuance in Technology Use (Macrosystem – Societal/Systemic Level): As part of our broader impact, we aim to offer alternative perspectives on youth and technology—complementing dominant narratives centered on risk and control with an emphasis on care, empowerment, and cultural relevance. This includes interconnected services and tools—such as guidebooks, communication materials, and novel technologies—co-designed with diverse families in Singapore. Grounded in their lived realities, these resources provide context-sensitive and meaningful ways to engage with mobile technology in everyday life.
Related Information
Project Duration: 1 May 2026 - 30 Apr 2027
