$1 Million Funding Challenge to Promote Adolescent Wellbeing Through Digital Play Launched by Young Futures
Summary
NEW YORK, April 23, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Young Futures, in partnership with the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and supported by Niantic, Pivotal Ventures and Susan Crown Exchange, is proud to launch a funding initiative designed to scale innovative solutions that promote the wellbeing of pre-teens and teens through digital play and gaming. The challenge builds on research showing that digital play can have profound benefits for adolescents, including fostering a sense of belonging, improving emotional regulation, and encouraging creative expression. A global study of 787 children across 18 countries found that digital games can help young people experience a sense of control, freedom of choice, mastery, emotional regulation, and social connection. Additionally, world-building games like Minecraft, which allow user-generated content, have become spaces where Generation Alpha actively shapes virtual worlds, marking a significant shift in how young people engage with play. The Center conducts cutting-edge research on emerging technologies, partners with industry leaders, academics, and educators to translate insights into action, and works closely with policymakers and investors to drive meaningful conversations and decisions.