To Protect Children Online, Researchers Call for Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration

A child wearing a pink shirt is focused on a smartphone in a dimly lit room, with blurred lights in the background. — Image: iStock

A recent perspective in Science calls for stronger collaboration between neuroscience, psychology, and law to create policies that safeguard children online. As digital environments increasingly shape how young people think and behave, the authors stress the urgency of evidence-based regulation that accounts for children’s unique developmental vulnerabilities. With contributions from experts at Penn, the piece emphasizes the need for rapid, translational research to inform policy in step with today’s fast-moving technological landscape.