AnneMarie McClain

My roots are in K–12 education. I’m a former elementary school teacher who taught kindergarten and first grade in Brooklyn, New York, and K–6 students in rural Costa Rica. I’ve always been interested in helping young people thrive—and to be fully themselves while doing it.

On a more personal level, this work is deeply connected to my own lived experience. As a child, I knew what it felt like not to be fully seen, included, or believed in. That experience continues to shape who I am and what I do. I’m also a kid at heart and have always loved children’s media, so this path feels natural.

That said, I didn’t initially know this could be a career. When I left classroom teaching, I knew I needed deeper knowledge of child development and sensed I might contribute on a different kind of stage. I remember sitting in a master’s course at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and realizing that decades of research showed media and technology could be intentionally designed to support children’s well-being—including youth from marginalized communities. That insight transformed my trajectory. I hadn’t even known communication was a field I could enter; it has felt like home ever since.

Today, my research and consulting focus on understanding what young people need from media and technology, particularly as it relates to identity. I work to amplify the voices of youth and families—especially those historically underrepresented in research and design.

The mission of Be You Kids Media Lab is simple: we find ways to use and design media to promote positive outcomes for youth and their families. The name is a play on “BU,” inspired by children in my life who thought it meant “be you”—which, in many ways, it does. My teaching, scholarship, and consulting all center on building a world where young people can thrive and be themselves.

AnneMarie McClain

It’s a big question, and the answer is often context-specific. From my perspective, digital wellness is a living, evolving state of navigating media and technology in intentional and informed ways—ways that (a) foster holistic well-being, both individually and collectively, and (b) align with a community’s needs and goals.

Sometimes digital wellness may involve limiting or even banning devices. But that shouldn’t necessarily be the default assumption. Research on self-determination and learning suggests that students need agency and buy-in for such decisions to be effective. Device policies should be part of a broader, holistic commitment to well-being—one that considers cognitive, mental, physical, emotional, and social dimensions.

When students feel balance and a sense of control in their lives, they can think more clearly and act more intentionally—including in digital spaces. They’re less likely to be overwhelmed by noise and more able to express themselves authentically.

At the same time, young people are experiencing significant mental health challenges. Digital well-being must be part of that conversation. As we speak, there is a major active legal case in which plaintiffs argue that major social media platforms have intentionally designed features that promote compulsive use among young people. Whether in courtrooms, legislatures, or classrooms, these questions about design and responsibility are shaping the landscape students inhabit every day. Questions about how platforms are designed—and how they shape attention and behavior—are deeply relevant. For those of us who work with young people, these issues are not optional; they’re central.

AnneMarie McClain

The shadow is real. At the same time, research on device use in classrooms shows mixed findings—both harms and benefits—depending on how and why devices are used. Students and faculty are acutely aware of device use, and their feelings about it can be complex.

There are tremendous opportunities to leverage devices intentionally in ways that support learning and wellness. I don’t see this as a black or white issue. What matters most is open dialogue. Faculty and students should talk together about how devices affect presence, participation, and voice. We need to bring this conversation into the light so it’s no longer a “shadow.” That starts with naming concerns, possibilities, hopes, and goals—and collaborating from there.

AnneMarie McClain

Technology can level the playing field in many ways. It provides access to tools, enhances engagement (especially in longer classes), enables quick formative assessment, and facilitates collaboration. Digital note-taking allows students to integrate screenshots and multimedia, and it can make organization easier. Used responsibly and ethically, AI tools can help students elevate ideas.

The potential benefits are substantial.

At the same time, technology use has the potential to undermine wellness sometimes. Scrolling mindlessly during class is unlikely to support learning. But stepping away briefly to respond to a family emergency might help a student self-regulate enough to re-engage. These are nuanced realities. Students are whole people with lives inside and outside the classroom, and our expectations should reflect that complexity.

AnneMarie McClain

Finding one’s voice is a central task of young adulthood. Living in a digitally mediated world doesn’t change that—it simply adds dimensions.

Finding one’s voice is often not linear. It requires experimentation, vulnerability, and practice. But today’s students are inundated with information—news feeds, social media, popular culture—that can shape and sometimes distort how they see themselves. That volume can feel overwhelming.

One way to support students is to acknowledge these realities rather than ignore them. Young people are aware of both the risks and possibilities of digital life. We can center their perspectives and strengths. A core part of finding one’s voice is learning to sift out the noise—however each student defines it. We can teach critical media literacy, helping students analyze how digital tools, platforms, and even AI systems may reflect biases or assumptions that do—or do not—align with their own identities and communities.

Struggle, uncertainty, and revision matter because they are part of how voice develops. Technology should support that process, not short-circuit it.

AnneMarie McClain

These approaches have the potential to be powerful—especially when students opt in. Agency increases the likelihood of success and helps ensure that students who require devices for accessibility aren’t marginalized.

When thoughtfully structured, device-free moments can also foster deeper conversation, creativity, and connection. But context matters. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution.

AnneMarie McClain

Students should be collaborators in this work. Creating space for them to experiment—with both self-expression and digital habits—is essential.

Our students are already brilliant. Technology evolves rapidly, but I believe students can harness it as a force for good—especially when we support them in prioritizing their well-being.

AnneMarie McClain

We can’t make media and technology disappear from young people’s lives—even if some of us might wish we could. Instead, we need to ask: How do we prepare students for the world they’re living in—and the one still unfolding? How do we build on their strengths to help them move forward?

That requires humility—the willingness to learn, to be wrong, and to try new approaches. It also requires modeling digital wellness ourselves if we expect students to embrace it.

And it’s worth remembering that people once feared television’s effects on young audiences. Humans are remarkably adaptable, and young people especially so. We can meet this moment, but only if we are willing to do the work.