What Children Need from Digital Spaces
Children now grow up moving fluidly between physical and digital spaces. For them, the two are not competing worlds but extensions of one another. They learn, play, socialise, explore, create, and express themselves across both. As adults, it is our responsibility to understand what young people need from these digital environments so that their experiences support wellbeing, confidence, and growth.
Research into child development and online behaviour gives us a clear picture of what makes digital spaces healthy. The requirements are not complicated, but they are often missing from the platforms where children spend the most time.
1. Safety that is proactive, not reactive
Children need environments that protect them before something goes wrong, not after. This includes meaningful moderation, clear boundaries, and systems that minimise exposure to harmful content or unknown adults. Studies consistently highlight that children feel safest online when the adults who support them in the real world are able to guide or oversee their digital interactions.
(UNICEF: Child Safety Online)
2. A sense of belonging
Digital experiences are powerful because they offer community. However, belonging only functions positively when children interact within groups they trust and understand. Research from the Oxford Internet Institute shows that predictable, stable social circles online contribute to healthier wellbeing and reduce exposure to negative behaviour.
(Oxford Internet Institute)
3. Creative freedom within safe boundaries
Children are naturally drawn to spaces where they can build, customise, and express themselves. Creativity is strongly linked with motivation and deeper learning. Platforms that encourage creation, while maintaining safe limits, give children agency without overwhelming them.
(American Academy of Pediatrics)
4. Healthy social interaction
Digital spaces can nurture collaboration, teamwork, empathy, and communication when designed thoughtfully. Children thrive when social norms are clear, positive behaviour is encouraged, and negative interactions are minimised. Research shows that supportive digital relationships can strengthen offline confidence and social skills.
(Royal Society report on online behaviour)
5. Clarity, simplicity, and transparency
Children benefit from clear rules, consistent expectations, and interfaces that make sense. Complexity and ambiguity can lead to unsafe choices simply because children do not always understand what is happening around them. Digital spaces thrive when they are intuitive and predictable.
6. Involvement of trusted adults
Perhaps the most important requirement is adult presence. Not in the form of surveillance, but in the form of guidance. Teachers, parents, and known caregivers are uniquely positioned to help children navigate challenges and celebrate successes. When the digital world is connected meaningfully to the adults who support children in the real world, safety improves dramatically.
(EU Kids Online)
Children are not going to step away from digital worlds simply because adults wish they would. These environments are already a major part of their lives. What matters now is ensuring that these spaces reflect what children actually need, not just what keeps them online longest.
The goal is simple: digital spaces where creativity and community can flourish confidently and safely.
As the landscape continues to change, now is the right moment to rethink what these environments could become, and to imagine digital spaces built with children, not just built for them.