Dr. Pamela Wisniewski contributed expert guidance to the new Children and Screens Guide for Childhood Development and Media Use: Adolescence (Ages 11–18), a research-based resource designed to help parents and caregivers support adolescents’ well-being, growing autonomy, and healthy relationships with digital media.
Wisniewski’s contributions emphasize a developmental approach to online safety. She cautions against fear-based and abstinence-based messaging around viral challenges and online risks, arguing that teens are more likely to benefit from balanced conversations that acknowledge risks while giving them practical strategies for staying safe.
She also addresses parental control technologies, noting that while these tools may be useful when younger teens first go online, restriction and surveillance should be reduced as adolescents demonstrate responsibility. For older teens, intensive monitoring can be perceived as invasive and can undermine trust; parents should also be transparent when parental-control tools are being used.
Together, these recommendations reflect a broader principle: adolescent online safety should evolve as young people develop greater responsibility, autonomy, and digital skills.
Read the full Children and Screens guide