• Understanding the impact of design tactics on children’s digital behaviour

Whether we like it or not, our world is increasingly becoming digital. We often get caught up in concerns like screen time and children being glued to their phones, but it’s important to remember that technology is no longer just an external force; it’s an integral part of our daily lives. While technology brings both benefits and risks, it’s essential to recognise its positive impact, especially for children and young people.

Digital technology provides a platform for learning, socialising, content creation, and easy access to information. However, alongside these benefits come risks, particularly commercialisation and the design of digital platforms that may inadvertently influence children’s behaviour.

This article is based on a presentation by Dr. Sumudu Mallawarachchi, Research Fellow at the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child at Deakin University. She shared insights on persuasive design in technology and its impact on children’s digital behaviour during an online session for the International Foundation for Digital Child.

The rise of persuasive design

A critical, yet often overlooked, element of how technology engages children is persuasive design. Tech companies, app developers, and digital designers intentionally design digital platforms to capture and maintain our attention. These platforms are not just about providing content; they are structured to influence behaviours, keeping users, especially children, hooked for extended periods. While this may sound like a harmless part of the digital experience, it has profound implications on children’s wellbeing.

Persuasive design refers to the use of design elements – such as notifications, infinite scrolling, and personalised recommendations – that are created with the goal of making users spend more time on a platform. This process is financially motivated, with the platforms benefiting from increased engagement – often at the expense of users’ time and mental health. Although persuasive design affects everyone, children are particularly vulnerable due to their developing emotional regulation skills and their natural curiosity about the digital world.

The role of technology in children’s lives

For children, digital technology can be a valuable tool. It allows them to stay in touch with friends, access educational resources, express creativity, and engage in new forms of entertainment. However, the increasing commercialisation of digital spaces is a growing concern. Many digital platforms are designed to maximise profit, often leveraging persuasive design techniques to keep children engaged.

For example, social media apps use likes, shares, and notifications as tools for social validation, triggering a dopamine response in the brain – a reward system that reinforces the behaviour of returning to the platform. When children interact with these platforms, they may not have the critical thinking skills to fully understand how their behaviour is being influenced or what they are exposed to.

Psychological triggers

Several persuasive design tactics exploit basic human psychology to keep users engaged. Here are some of the most commonly used strategies:

• Variable rewards: Many digital platforms use ‘loot boxes’ or random rewards to create excitement and thrill. This element of unpredictability taps into the brain’s desire for rewards, encouraging users, including children, to keep engaging with content just to see what they might get next

• Social validation: The desire for acceptance and approval is a powerful motivator, and platforms like Instagram or TikTok capitalise on this by showing users how many likes, shares, or comments they have received. Notifications about activity – like someone commenting on a post or adding to their story – trigger curiosity and keep users engaged

• Reciprocity: Some apps encourage users to engage with content in exchange for social validation or to maintain a connection, such as Snapchat’s streaks feature, where users are motivated to keep sending photos daily to maintain their streaks with friends

• Ephemeral content: Platforms like Instagram and BeReal employ content that disappears after a certain time. This creates a fear of missing out (FOMO), prompting users to return to the platform quickly to ensure they don’t miss anything important

• Algorithms: Powered by artificial intelligence, algorithms track user behaviour and recommend content based on past activity. This creates an endless cycle of content that is tailored to the user’s interests, ensuring that users, especially children, remain engaged for longer periods

• Infinite scrolling: Platforms that allow endless scrolling, such as Facebook or TikTok, remove natural stopping points, encouraging users to consume content endlessly without realising how much time they’ve spent

• Seamlessness: Features like one-click payments and automatic sharing across multiple platforms make it easier for users to continue engaging without thinking about it, leading to more time spent on digital platforms

Children are particularly susceptible to these design tactics. As they are still learning emotional regulation and decision-making, they may find it harder to stop engaging with content once they’ve started. Features like notifications, likes, and other persuasive elements trigger dopamine responses that make children want to keep engaging with content. Over time, this can lead to unhealthy habits like digital addiction, privacy violations, or exposure to inappropriate content.

Children may also fail to recognise how persuasive design works. For example, a notification or a like may make them feel validated and excited, reinforcing the need to check their phone repeatedly. However, these behaviours, if unchecked, can lead to significant negative impacts on mental health and wellbeing.

Teaching digital literacy and mindfulness

To help children navigate the digital world responsibly, it’s crucial to focus on teaching digital literacy. Instead of simply restricting screen time or blocking certain apps, we need to help children develop the skills to critically evaluate what they’re doing online. This includes understanding how persuasive design works and how it can influence their behaviour.

Parents and caregivers can also play a role in modelling healthy digital habits. For instance, when you’re engaging with technology around children, be mindful of how you use it. Children are quick to imitate adult behaviours, and if they see you constantly checking your phone or getting distracted by notifications, they are likely to adopt similar behaviours.

Tools for managing digital habits

Technology companies are beginning to acknowledge the impact of excessive screen time and are implementing tools to help users manage their digital habits. Many smartphones now have built-in features like Digital Wellbeing (Android) or Screen Time (iPhone), which allow users to monitor and limit their time on specific apps. Setting timers for certain apps or enabling features like Bedtime Mode (which turns the screen grayscale to signal it’s time to sleep) or Focus Mode (which silences notifications during certain hours) can help users stay in control of their digital interactions.

Additionally, users can disable autoplay features on platforms like YouTube or Facebook, preventing endless video consumption that can lead to time-wasting.

The bigger picture: Regulation and accountability

While individual actions are important, larger regulatory changes are also necessary to protect children from the risks of persuasive design. Advocates and organisations such as Common Sense Media and the Center for Humane Technology are pushing for stricter regulations on children’s apps, including privacy protections and measures to limit the collection of personal data. In the UK, for example, the Children’s Design Code has introduced guidelines for how tech companies should design apps and platforms with children’s safety in mind. However, much more work remains to be done, especially when it comes to holding big tech companies accountable for the influence their platforms have on users.

As digital technology continues to evolve, it’s crucial for both parents and educators to recognise how persuasive design is shaping children’s behaviour online. By teaching children digital literacy skills, modelling responsible technology use, and making use of available tools to manage screen time, we can help mitigate the risks of digital platforms.

At the same time, we must continue to push for stronger regulations that prioritise the wellbeing of children in the digital world. Technology isn’t inherently bad, but how it’s designed and how we engage with it matters. With the right approach, we can help children navigate the digital landscape responsibly, ensuring that technology enhances their lives rather than detracts from them.

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