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Findings show mixed effects: engagement, scaffolding, and potential creativity gains alongside narrowed exposure, echo chambers, and passive use, with safety, privacy, agency, and equity dependent on design context.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & 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Elizabeth Hunt, Emily Relkin, Mingyue Sun, Ashley Lewis-Presser, Alice Kaiser, Naomi Hupert  \nCenter for Children and Technology | Education Development Center July 2026  \nExecutive Summary  \nPersonalization shapes many of the digital experiences that children and families encounter every day—through search results and video recommendations, social media feeds and educational tools and platforms, algorithmic systems influence what content children see, how it is presented, and what they are encouraged to do next. Policymakers, educators, and families lack understanding about how personalized digital systems work. Moreover, the effects of these systems on children’s learning and well-being are not well understood.  \nPolicy attention to personalization is increasing rapidly. Governments are introducing new legislation and regulations to reduce risks associated with children’s digital media use, including exposure to inappropriate content, excessive engagement, and data privacy concerns. These efforts often respond to concerns about harm but give limited attention to how designers can use personalization to support children’s learning, exploration, connection, and well-being, and how to incentivize and ensure systems do so. Although most people recognize that platforms use data for personalization, far fewer understand how developers train algorithms, make decisions, or update these systems over time and whether and how this matters for children. A stronger understanding of how personalization shapes children’s experiences as well as its benefits and risks can inform more effective policy and design approaches.  \nStudy Methods  \nThis study addresses this gap by exploring how personalization shapes digital experiences and outcomes for children ages 9–17 and identifying implications for policy and design that better align with children’s learning and well-being. We draw from the research evidence as well as through  \nsemi-structured interviews with 30 experts across 14 countries and a range of  \ndomains, including child development, communications, human-computer interaction, law, and policy. This study explores the following research questions:  \n1. How do current approaches to personalization shape children’s experiences and engagement with content?  \n2. In what ways do personalized digital experiences enhance or detract from children’s learning and well-being?  \n3. To what extent and how does personalization ensure safety while also supporting privacy, agency, and equity?  \n4. How can educators, parents/caregivers, and developers scaffold children's interactions with personalized digital content?  \nKey Findings  \nChildren engage with digital platforms for many reasons, including seeking information, entertainment, relaxation, exploration, and social interaction. Across these different motivations and contexts, personalization shapes children’s digital experiences. It influences behavior by shaping attention and time use, affects emotions and engagement by reinforcing enjoyment and a sense of validation, and structures learning by guiding pathways and exposure to content and ideas. Personalization can make digital environments more navigable, engaging, and responsive to children’s needs. However, it can also contribute to challenges, such as narrowing exposure to information, creating echo chambers or reinforcing existing preferences, and encouraging passive use.  \nEffects of Personalization on Learning and Well-being Are Mixed  \nPersonalization in digital environments can affect children’s learning and development in several ways. It can increase engagement by making content more relevant to children’s interests and prior knowledge. It can provide adaptive scaffolding and feedback that supports skill development. It can also support creativity and self-expression when it positions children as active participants, enabling them to create, c","cbCaik2ZuaTcDPpl","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaik2ZuaTcDPpl","pdf",967798,69,"English","# Executive Summary\n# Study Methods\n# Key Findings\n## Effects of Personalization on Learning and Well-being Are Mixed\n## Design Shapes Outcomes More Than Personalization Itself","[{\"question\":\"What gap does the study address about personalization for children?\",\"answer\":\"The study examines how personalization shapes children’s digital experiences and outcomes, and identifies policy and design implications that better align with children’s learning and well-being.\"},{\"question\":\"How does personalization influence children’s engagement and learning?\",\"answer\":\"Personalization can increase engagement by making content more relevant, provide adaptive scaffolding and feedback, and support creativity and self-expression when children are positioned as active participants.\"},{\"question\":\"Why are the effects of personalization on learning and well-being described as mixed?\",\"answer\":\"Benefits vary by system design, context of use, and prioritized content, and youths’ outcomes also depend on individual characteristics such as age, developmental stage, gender, cultural background, caregiver support, and digital literacy.\"}]","Investigating the Power of Personalized Digital Experiences for Children | PDF",1792050758,174]