Adolescents are growing up in a radically connected world. Mobile devices provide near-constant access to apps intentionally designed to hijack focus and to social media platforms that tap developmental social sensitivities. This project proposes mindful digital engagement as an antidote. In Phase 1, we will create and test the reliability and validity of a mindful digital engagement scale among adolescents. In Phase 2, we will use this scale to assess an evidence-based intervention that our team has created to cultivate three components of mindful digital engagement in youth: intentionally regulated habits, self-reflective personal screen use, and empathic digital interactions. The Phase 2 study setting prioritizes inclusion of youth from historically marginalized groups, which is meaningful given persistent inequities in access to quality digital literacy supports. The project leverages contemplative science to decrease contemporary risks of technology disconnecting youth from
themselves and each other.
