Author: Stefanie Cousins

22 May

Posted at 11:40h in Child Development, Meditations, Wellbeing

“When it’s real, you’re doing this even without a record contract.”
— Nas

“Sparks — when illuminated and nurtured — give young people joy, energy and direction.”
— Peter Benson

When I was in graduate school, I taped to the wall in my office an image of Nas (from a Rolling Stone illustration) along with the lyric above. To some degree, it mocked me. I often felt that the only reason I chained myself to that desk was for the letters that would follow my name when I was done. Anyone who has gone through doctoral training can probably attest to that kind of crisis, and Nas got a front row seat to mine. I still cannot fully explain why I went through that process, but I am pretty sure it was not because of a deep love of learning. I snowboarded, played hockey, worked in my garden and played music because of the joy I felt while doing them, not because I expected recognition or reward. Graduate school felt different, and Nas and I knew it.

What makes that line resonate with me is partly what it meant and partly that Nas said it to open Illmatic, his critically acclaimed debut studio album, released in 1994, which is widely regarded as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. It stays with me because it offers a definition of realness that has very little to do with recognition. It points instead to a kind of commitment that exists before validation arrives. The contract comes later. The applause comes later. The proof comes later. What comes first is the relationship between a person and the thing they feel called to do. It involves passion and faith.

That raises an important question for those of us who care about young people:

Are we helping them develop a genuine relationship with the process of doing something, or are we surrounding them with environments that teach them to care mostly about the outcome?

Nas is a useful example because his story makes that distinction visible. Before the acclaim, before Illmatic, before the industry confirmed his value, there was a young person in Queens who had already found something that mattered to him. Hip-hop was not initially a product or a career path. It was a place to put his mind, his observations, his hunger and his craft. The record contract formalized something that already had life. It did not create the life itself.

Peter Benson had a beautiful word for this kind of energy: sparks. He used it to describe the talents, interests and passions that give young people a sense of direction and aliveness. A spark is more than competence. A person may be skilled at many things and feel deeply connected to only one or two of them. I was a much better student than a gardener. A spark has heat. It draws a person back. It makes effort feel worthwhile.

That question applies as much to school as it does to youth programs. Schools often speak the language of curiosity and growth, yet students quickly learn that much of the system revolves around grades, ranking, compliance, deadlines and visible achievement. Youth programs can fall into a similar pattern through leadership outcomes, portfolios, showcases and other measurable indicators of growth. None of those things are unimportant.

The problem begins when the structure surrounding the activity becomes so dominant that the activity itself loses its inner pull.

Edward Deci and Richard Ryan’s Self-Determination Theory helps explain why some environments nourish motivation while others thin it out. They argue that people are more likely to stay deeply engaged when three conditions are present: autonomy, competence and relatedness. Young people need room to exercise ownership. They need the experience of becoming more capable. They also need to feel connected to other people and to some larger sense of meaning.

William Damon’s work on purpose shows what can happen when a spark survives long enough to mature. Purpose is not a passing interest. It is a stable and meaningful commitment that matters to the self and also reaches beyond the self. A spark begins as energy. Intrinsic motivation sustains that energy over time. Purpose gives it direction and weight.

Seen through that lens, Nas’s line captures the beginning of a developmental arc. If it is real, you are doing it before anyone confirms that it is worthwhile. You are still there when the work is repetitive, when no one is watching and when the result is uncertain. That is what makes the contract meaningful in the first place.

For schools and youth programs, the practical implication is clear. We should care about outcomes, but we should also pay attention to the quality of a young person’s engagement along the way. We should ask whether they are becoming more curious, more self-directed, more absorbed and more connected to what they are doing.

This feels especially urgent in a culture that constantly invites people to bypass process. The deeper concern, though, is older than any current tool. When process loses its meaning, passion begins to thin out. When passion thins out, purpose becomes harder to form.

The task, then, is helping young people stay lit from within. It is to notice the early spark, to build schools and programs that support intrinsic motivation and to respect the long, uneven process through which a real interest becomes a real calling.

Nas was right. If it is real, you are doing it anyway.

And if we didn’t know that before — well, now we do.

***

By Dan Warren, Director, Youth Development & Education, Fluent Research

This article was originally published in Youth Today on May 21, 2026 as part of the series Dan writes called Pass the mic: Where hip-hop meets human development. Each month, he brings scholars and rappers into dialogue to spark new ways of seeing youth, culture and change.

Previous pieces in the Pass the MIc series:

21 May

Posted at 12:58h in AI, Research, Technology, UX

The distinct cadence of a computerized voice echoing across the room was part of my early introduction to the world of accessibility. I was working in the disability services office at a university, and the robotic narration of JAWS (a screen reader) from a colleague’s desk had become part of the daily office foley. To me, the previously uninitiated, it was compelling to witness how much difference a piece of technology could make in enabling independence in the workplace and demonstrating inclusion.

Fast forward to today, where we all seem to be hurtling toward a future where, for many of us, our workplace and greater world will be heavily mediated by screens and all manner of artificial intelligence. Assistive technologies like JAWS, frankly, seem old hat by comparison. My news and professional feeds are regularly dotted with stories about how AI is poised to revolutionize technologies and bring more independence, more accessibility, and more equity. 

This Truly is the Stuff of Sci-Fi Movies

Multimodal AI: We are in an era where AI can “read” text on a screen. But what happens when AI operates multimodally? Authors Nithish Kumar and Aishwarya Srinivasan mention the myriad of possibilities for increasing accessibility in their article “The Sensory Revolution.” When AI can “smell” the sweetest strawberries at the grocery store, “see” the shortest checkout line, or “feel” the weight of the shopping bag, it can drastically support the experience of the built world for anyone who has a sensory limitation.

Wearable Technologies: Researchers are developing robotic exoskeletons to assist people with neuromuscular disorders (e.g., spinal cord injuries, stroke recovery). In-built AI systems could potentially provide “personalized control algorithms that could improve human–machine coordination” for these exoskeletons, according to a December 2025 article in Nature Communications. And jumping to a different type of wearable technology, Meta recently published an article about how its wearable glasses can be used, with AI assistance, to find lost keys, read restaurant menus, or get real-time captions.

New Robotics: Tatum Robotics is developing devices that can translate both words and images into tactile sign language and help deaf-blind users better communicate.

Trends in Product Development for Accessibility

At first glance, it all sounds pretty good. But as exciting as these developments may be, we still need to examine the means and ways these tools are developed. This need is made even more poignant by the fact that AI is not merely the final objective with these and similar new technologies; it is increasingly being deeply woven into the very fabric of product development and testing protocols. While I can’t speak to the development of the specific products described above, there are greater trends at play.  

According to Applause’s 2026 State of Digital Quality in Accessibility survey that surveyed more than 500 software development, QA, product, compliance and accessibility professionals, 79% reported that the organizations where they work use AI to improve digital accessibility in their websites and applications.. This, according to a large swathe of survey respondents, could look like “using AI coding tools to address/remediate accessibility issues” or “scan sites or apps for accessibility issues.”

One of the many issues with this is that many major LLM systems were not necessarily designed to be foremost disability-cognizant. Jackie Leah Scully reminds us in her article for Science, that “most AI developers have little formal knowledge of disability and are not taught about accessibility or inclusion during their training, while courses on AI ethics that discuss bias or diversity tend to focus on sex/gender and race, rather than disability” (Scully, 2018). If you are depending on AI to find the accessibility issues on your website, you must take into account that AI, historically, has been trained largely on websites that are not accessible and are then at risk of reproducing, as Eric Bailey described for GitHub, “accessibility antipatterns.” Moreover, AI models are trained on data that largely ignores the lived experiences of people with disabilities, which means their outputs frequently exhibit a lack of representation. This isn’t just a technical glitch; it’s a systemic deficit that can end up reinforcing existing biases. AI, simply put, cannot serve as be-all, end-all authority on accessibility.

Inclusion: “Nothing About Us Without Us”

These issues highlight a truth that the accessibility community has preached for decades: Product designers and technology developers must co-create with people with disabilities. This is not a new thought (“nothing about us without us”), but the increasing dependency on AI in product development makes the call to action all the more urgent. We cannot outsource the responsibility of designing accessible technologies to AI or synthetic participants, and people with disabilities cannot be brought in at the end-of-product design process for what amounts to token rubber-stamp approval. People with disabilities must be active stakeholders, present from the very first brainstorming session through the entire development pipeline. Yes, one could theoretically argue that the solution is just better AI. Yet, as our built environment rapidly transforms, the necessity of genuine human feedback becomes all the more important. AI systems, as aforementioned, are constrained by their training data, and therefore lack the agility to navigate cutting-edge built environment developments or offer the nuanced, lived responses that only a real person can provide. 

From a researcher’s perspective, these shifts underscore the necessity of intentional preparation to engage with the disability community during the research process. This Global Accessibility Awareness Day, I am reminded to reflect on my practice as a researcher in this age of AI, where the building of products is moving fast and there is more pressure to accelerate the research timeline. In my context of conducting research, this may mean advocating for the participation of individuals with disabilities, and holding the line when there is pushback. This may mean more time investment in finding people with disabilities to participate in research. It may mean dynamically adapting research instruments to meet the diverse needs of participants with disabilities. Or it may mean incorporating more flexibility within research sessions to meet differing needs. While these steps require time, resources, intentionality, and caution, the end result is worth it if it means a more thoughtfully designed, and genuinely accessible, technological future. As Debra Ruh famously said, “accessibility allows us to tap into everyone’s potential.” We must honor our responsibility—to those with disabilities, to those without disabilities who may or may not eventually develop disabilities, and to all technological progeny—to build things well.

By Farrah Brensinger, Senior User Experience Researcher

14 May

Posted at 16:10h in Children, Education, Wellbeing

May can feel like a sprint, a pileup, and an emotional goodbye all at once. I don’t know about you, but the stress levels in my house are pretty high, all due to my teens’ AP exams, end-of-year projects, and finals. They don’t call this month “Mayhem” and “Maycember” for nothing!

One week, a child may be studying for finals, rushing to a band concert, worrying about friendship shifts, and counting down to summer. A parent may be tracking permission slips, late assignments, sports banquets, graduation dates, and changes in mood that seem to come out of nowhere. It is a lot. And for many families like mine, the stress of May is not about one big event. It is about everything happening at the same time.

May is also Mental Health Awareness Month. That makes it a good time to remember something simple but important: mental health is part of health. Support, connection, rest, and recovery matter at every age.

For families, the goal is not to remove every stressor. Some end-of-year stress is normal. The goal is to lower unnecessary pressure, protect recovery time, and give kids support that fits where they are developmentally.

As we mark Fluent Research’s 20th anniversary, that idea feels especially meaningful. For two decades, we have studied how people navigate cultural and technological change. That work has included learning environments, safer digital experiences, youth culture, children’s and teens’ mental health, education, digital wellbeing, and human-centered innovation. Across all of it, one lesson keeps showing up: young people do better when adults understand where they are developmentally, listen closely, and create conditions that support connection, confidence, and wellbeing.

That is why an age-by-age approach matters. A fifth grader, a freshman, a graduating senior, and a college student may all be winding down the school year. But they are doing very different emotional, social, and developmental work. In May, exhaustion can also make kids seem younger, moodier, less organized, or more overwhelmed than they were earlier in the semester. That does not always mean something is wrong. Often, it means their systems are overloaded.

Here are age-by-age ways to help kids and young adults close the school year with less stress and more steadiness.

Why May Is So Stressful

The end of the school year often brings a heavy mix of demands:

  • Final projects and exams
  • Performances, tournaments, and banquets
  • Field days, spirit weeks, and graduation events
  • Friendship changes and social pressure
  • Summer planning and schedule shifts
  • The emotional weight of endings and transitions

Even positive events can add stress. A child may be excited about summer and still feel sad about leaving a teacher. A teen may be proud of graduating and still feel scared about what comes next. Mixed emotions are normal.

Mental Health Awareness Month: A Reminder

May is a natural time to talk about mental health because it asks young people to do two hard things at once: finish strong and let go.

Mental health support does not always mean a major intervention. Often, it looks like:

  • Clearer routines
  • Fewer unnecessary pressures
  • More sleep
  • Better boundaries around digital overload
  • Calm, respectful check-ins
  • Space for recovery

When we make room for those basics, we help kids manage stress before it grows bigger.

Tweens, Ages 10–12: Make the Month Feel Manageable

Tweens often live in the space between childhood and adolescence. They may want more independence, but they still need concrete structure, reminders, and help seeing the whole picture.

At this age, stress may show up as:

  • Tears
  • Irritability
  • Avoidance
  • Stomachaches
  • Forgotten assignments
  • Sudden overwhelm about something that seems small to adults

The most helpful thing adults can do is make the invisible visible.

Create a simple May calendar that shows tests, projects, field trips, performances, spirit days, celebrations, and family events. Then help your child sort what is required, what is optional, and what can be skipped. A visual plan lowers the mental load.

Use small, specific steps. Instead of saying, “You need to get ready for finals,” try: “Let’s put your science papers in one folder, review the study guide for 15 minutes, and pack your calculator tonight.” Tweens are still building planning skills. Clear next steps help them feel capable.

Protect bedtime and decompression. The end of the year often brings later nights, extra activities, and more screen time. A predictable evening routine can help their nervous system settle. Think snack, shower, backpack reset, quiet reading, music, or another calming activity.

Make room for mixed feelings. Some tweens are excited for summer. Others are sad to leave a teacher, nervous about middle school, or unsure where friendships stand. A walk, car ride, or casual errand may open the door better than a direct conversation.

Try saying: There’s a lot happening this month. Let’s look at the week together and make it feel smaller.

Early Teens, Ages 13–15: Offer Choices, Not Lectures

Early teens are often managing rapid changes in their bodies, emotions, friendships, identity, and independence. They may want adult-like freedom while still needing adult help to think through consequences, manage stress, and recover from emotional ups and downs.

In May, stress for early teens often comes from:

  • Grades
  • Social comparison
  • Friendship drama
  • Group chats
  • Performance pressure
  • The feeling that everyone else is handling things better than they are

Offer structure with choice. Instead of “You need to study now,” try: “Would you rather study before dinner or after dinner?” Choice supports autonomy while still providing boundaries.

Use “take a beat” language. Early teens can feel things intensely and react quickly. Help them pause without shaming them. You might say, “Let’s take a beat. What’s one other possible explanation?” or “What would you tell a friend who was feeling this way?”

Help them notice digital stress loops. A teen may be physically home but emotionally stuck in a group chat, a post, a streak of comparison, or fear of being left out. Rather than leading with “Get off your phone,” ask: “Is being on this app helping you feel connected, or is it making tonight harder?” Then talk through options like muting notifications, taking a timed break, leaving a chat, unfollowing, blocking, or asking for help.

Shift the focus from identity to strategy. Comments like “Why are you so disorganized?” can feel like character judgments. Try, “What part of this is still in your control?” or “What would make tomorrow morning easier?”

Keep the door open. Early teens may reject support and still need it. A calm “I’m around when you want help” often lands better than repeated questioning.

Try saying: I’m not here to take over. I’m here to help you make a plan that works.

Late Teens, Ages 16–17: Reduce Future Overload

Late teens are often trying to finish the school year while also thinking about what comes next. They may be juggling exams, AP tests, graduation requirements, prom, jobs, sports, college decisions, summer work, family expectations, and the emotional reality of leaving a familiar stage of life.

By this age, stress is not only about this week’s assignments. It may also be about:

  • College
  • Money
  • Career questions
  • Relationships
  • Independence
  • Current events
  • Whether they are “ready” for adulthood

Treat them like collaborators. Ask, “Do you want help making a plan, or do you mostly need me to listen?” That one question can lower defensiveness and clarify what kind of support they actually want.

Create a next 30 days map. Put school deadlines, work shifts, forms, applications, celebrations, rest days, and family commitments in one place. Older teens can think more abstractly, but seeing the month laid out still helps reduce pressure.

Separate urgent from important. Everything can feel urgent in May. Help your teen sort tasks into what is due now, due soon, emotionally important, optional, and not worth the energy. This helps them conserve effort for what matters most.

Watch the work-school balance. Part-time work can build confidence, responsibility, and real-world skills. But too many hours during the school year can crowd out sleep, schoolwork, family connection, and social life.

Make room for grief and pride. A teen may be excited to graduate and sad about leaving. They may be ready for college and scared of it. They may want independence and still need reassurance. Mixed emotions are part of transition.

Try saying: You don’t have to have your whole future figured out this month. Let’s focus on the next right steps.

Young Adults, Ages 18–24: Support Without Re-Managing

For college students and young adults, May can bring finals, moving out, internships, job searches, financial stress, changing relationships, and returning home after a year of independence. They may need support, but they usually do not want to feel managed like they are back in high school.

The best approach is to act more like a consultant than a director.

Ask before advising. “Would feedback help, or would encouragement help more?” is often more effective than launching into solutions.

Support basic routines without turning them into criticism. Sleep, food, movement, laundry, transportation, and money can all become stress multipliers during transitions. Practical support can help, especially when offered respectfully.

Normalize uncertainty. Young adults may be making decisions about majors, jobs, relationships, identity, values, and where they belong. They do not need to have everything figured out just because the semester is ending.

Encourage connection. When school ends, that built-in community can disappear quickly. Help young adults think about where they will find belonging during the summer:

  • Friends
  • Work
  • Volunteering
  • Creative projects
  • Exercise groups
  • Spiritual communities
  • Neighborhood activities
  • Family rituals

Respect recovery time. A student coming home from finals may need sleep, food, and quiet before they are ready to talk about grades, plans, or responsibilities.

Try saying: I trust you. I’m here as backup while you sort through what’s next.

Stress-Lowering Practices That Help at Every Age

Some supports work across every age group. They are simple, but they matter.

Protect Sleep

May tends to steal sleep first. But sleep is one of the most important supports for emotional regulation, learning, and resilience.

Lower the Comparison Temperature

Awards ceremonies, grades, college announcements, tryout results, and social media posts can make young people feel measured from every direction. Remind them that someone else’s milestone is not a verdict on their worth.

Create Small Rituals of Closure by Asking:

  • What do you want to remember from this year?
  • What are you proud of getting through?
  • Who helped you?
  • What do you want to leave behind?

Reflection can turn a stressful ending into a meaningful transition.

Use Connection Before Correction

Kids are more likely to problem solve when they feel safe, seen, and respected. This does not mean removing limits. It means leading with human connection so limits can be heard.

Celebrate Recovery, Not Just Achievement

The end of the year is not only about grades, trophies, awards, and admissions. It is also about persistence, friendship, courage, repair, growth, and rest.

When Stress Seems Bigger Than the Season

Some stress is expected at the end of the school year. But persistent sadness, hopelessness, withdrawal, panic, major changes in sleep or eating, self-harm, or talk of not wanting to live should be taken seriously.

Reach out to a school counselor, pediatrician, therapist, or local crisis support if needed. Early support matters.

A Brief Workplace Connection

There is also a useful lesson here for workplaces. Young people do better when expectations are clear, recovery time is protected, and support matches the moment. Adults do better under those same conditions. The way we support kids through periods of high demand can remind us what healthy culture looks like everywhere: clear communication, realistic expectations, empathy, and room to recover.

Closing the Year With More Steadiness

With the right support for the right age, families can help kids close the school year with less pressure, more connection, and a clearer sense that they are growing, not just performing.

Written by Stefanie Cousins, Vice President, Marketing & Communications, Fluent Research

08 Mar

Posted at 13:28h in Digital Wellbeing, Girls Leadership, Media, Trust & Safety, Wellbeing

By Nellie Gregorian

Last night, I peeked into my teenage daughter’s room. She was lying on her bed, phone in hand, earbuds in, completely absorbed in her digital world. Every few seconds, she’d laugh softly, shake her head, or roll her eyes.

A small, everyday moment. But it made me pause.

I realized that this moment encapsulates how millions of girls her age are experiencing the world today — part in-person, part online, part algorithmically curated. As a mother, I see her navigating friendships, social norms, and identity in ways I never did at her age.

For many years in my career, I had the privilege of collaborating with Girl Scouts of the USA, helping to advance research and programs designed to build girls’ leadership, confidence, and sense of possibility.

That work taught me something powerful:

Girls are remarkably capable when the environments around them are designed to support their growth.

Today, however, many of those environments are digital.

Girls today are navigating adolescence in ways previous generations never did. Their friendships, identities, and self-image are increasingly shaped in platforms designed to maximize engagement, visibility, and comparison.

  • Algorithms recommend content.
  • Filters reshape faces.
  • Metrics quantify popularity.

None of these systems were intentionally built to harm girls. But many were also not designed with girls’ developmental realities in mind.

So I can’t help but ask:

Are the digital worlds we are building helping the next generation of girls thrive or quietly shaping who they believe they need to become?

Research consistently shows that girls experience online spaces differently than boys:

  • Higher levels of appearance-based pressure
  • Increased social comparison
  • Greater exposure to harassment

Yet when we talk about gender equality in technology, we usually focus on who builds it — and that matters.

But we should also ask:

Who is technology being designed for?

Design choices are never neutral. They shape behavior, norms, and expectations.

When platforms consider age, developmental stage, and wellbeing, they create healthier experiences.

When they also consider gendered experiences, they can better anticipate pressures girls face online.

Designing the digital world with girls in mind doesn’t mean creating separate spaces. It means asking better questions:

  • How do social metrics influence identity formation?
  • How do recommendation systems amplify beauty standards?
  • How can safety systems better respond to harassment targeting girls?
  • What does healthy digital participation look like for adolescents?

These questions sit at the intersection of research, policy, and product design — and they are increasingly urgent.

If we want technology to truly empower the next generation of women, we cannot wait until adulthood to support them.

We need to think about girls — their development, wellbeing, and leadership — from the very beginning of the design process.

Because the digital environments girls grow up in today will help shape the leaders, creators, and innovators of tomorrow.

So here’s the question I think we should be asking this International Women’s Day:

If we were designing the digital world with girls’ wellbeing and leadership in mind from the start… what would we build differently?

Nellie Gregorian is the founder and president of Fluent Research.

05 Mar

Posted at 13:17h in Publications, Wellbeing

At Fluent Research, we believe that understanding wellbeing requires a holistic lens. It must consider the interplay of technology, culture, education, and the natural world. When you read The Evolved Nest, the latest article by Fluent Research’s Senior Child Development Researcher Amy Warren. PhD, you will explore a profound question: What if the key to healing ourselves and the Earth lies in restoring the conditions we evolved within?

Drawing on insights from developmental psychology and ecological science, Dr. Warren reflects on the concept of the “evolved nest,” a blueprint for human thriving shaped by millions of years of evolution. From nurturing touch and unstructured play to communal care and nature connection, these practices once defined our species. Yet, in the rush of modernity, many of these essential rhythms have been disrupted, leaving us with rising rates of anxiety, loneliness, and disconnection.

But there’s hope. Just as ecosystems retain an innate capacity for repair, so do we. We haven’t lost our blueprints for wellness. They are simply waiting to be rediscovered.

Dive into Dr. Warren’s reflections in the latest issue of Resurgence & Ecologist on how we can reconnect with our ecological inheritance and create environments where both humans and the planet can thrive..

24 Feb

Posted at 11:12h in Children, Content, Kids, Media, Research

The moment that changes a children’s series rarely just happens in the writers’ room. It can also happen in a living room.

A five-year-old girl tilts her head and says something unexpected about a character. A parent pauses and admits they’re not sure what the takeaway was. An eight-year-old boy laughs at a moment the creators thought was instructional, and tunes out during the explanation. Those are the moments that shape better content.

When people think about research in children’s media, they often think about measurement, proving that something worked after it’s complete. But the real power of research happens much earlier. Research doesn’t just validate content. It influences it.

Where Insight Changes Direction

In our work with PBS KIDS, Nickelodeon, and other children’s media clients across broadcast, digital, and interactive properties, we’re often brought in while content is still evolving. Animatics are rough. Scripts are fluid. Characters haven’t been finalized. Game mechanics are still being refined. That’s exactly when research matters most.

What we uncover doesn’t sit in a report; it informs revision. We examine questions that go beyond surface appeal:

• Do children understand the core skill the episode is designed to model?

• Do children understand the core skill the episode is designed to model?

• Is the learning goal clear, or buried under plot?

• Are the rules of the world intuitive to young viewers?

• Does the problem feel concrete, or abstract?

• When do children disengage, and what’s happening at that moment?

• Are parents interpreting the educational intention the way producers expect?

Sometimes the insight confirms the creative approach. Other times, it shifts it.

We’ve observed executive function skills resonating clearly, while the context surrounding them creates confusion. In one project, adults found career themes compelling, but children experienced them differently. In another, humor carried the learning more effectively than explanation. Without research, those disconnects remain invisible. With research, they become opportunities to revise, clarify, and strengthen before a series moves forward. In other words, those insights lead to better alignment between intention and interpretation. That’s not cosmetic feedback. It’s directional influence. 

Research as a Creative Partner

The strongest development teams don’t treat research as a compliance step at the end of production. They treat it as a creative partner.

When research is embedded in the development process, it can influence story pacing, character development, world-building clarity, the explicitness of educational messaging, and the balance between entertainment and instruction. The result isn’t content that feels “researched.” It’s content that feels intuitive, because it aligns with how children actually learn.

That alignment doesn’t happen by instinct alone. It happens by listening. 

Designing for How Kids Learn

This article is the first in a series exploring how research shapes and strengthens children’s media development across the broader children’s content landscape.

In upcoming articles, we’ll feature insights from Allison Caplovitz, PhD, Director of Content Research and Evaluation, and Senior Researchers Sylvia Rusnak and Tiffany Salone, whose expertise in child development, educational measurement, and media testing informs the work behind the scenes.

If you’re developing content for children, consider this:

• Do you know what kids are actually taking away?
• Are you testing intention against interpretation?
• Are you building in time to revise based on evidence?

Because if you’re building for kids, listening to them isn’t optional. It’s foundational.

By Stefanie Cousins, Vice President, Marketing and Communications

08 Apr

Posted at 14:05h in Kids, Qualitative Research, Research Camp


We’re beyond excited to announce that Research Camp is growing! In addition to our beloved Boston location at New England Base Camp, we’re launching a second site at Colorado Adventure Point in Denver.

Why Denver? Colorado Adventure Point is an incredible 20,000-square-foot Scouting and adventure education facility featuring:

• A two-story rock-climbing wall
• Archery & air rifle ranges
• Technology & culinary labs
• An outdoor adventure park

At Research Camp, kids take on real-world research and design challenges while experiencing the best of summer camp. By using participatory research methods, we uncover kids’ ideas, emotions, and experiences—helping our clients gain deep, meaningful insights.

Want a sneak peek at our new Denver camp? Check it out here.

Curious about Research Camp and how to get involved? Learn more: here!

We can’t wait to see how our Denver campers bring fresh perspectives to our research.

01 Mar

Posted at 14:06h in Family Strong, Fluent Productions

Five years ago, we embarked on a unique storytelling journey. At the height of the pandemic lockdown, we handed cameras to five American families and asked them to document their own lives—capturing the raw, unfiltered reality of navigating uncertainty, resilience, and hope. The result? Family Strong — a deeply personal, self-shot docuseries that earned five Telly Awards for its innovative storytelling produced by Heath Cozens and Nellie Gregorian at Fluent Productions.

Now, on the fifth anniversary of the pandemic, we’re reconnecting with all five families to see how their lives have unfolded. How did the pandemic impact them? What challenges remain, and what transformations took them by surprise? Take a peek at the teaser for a glimpse of what’s to come.

10 Feb

Posted at 16:46h in Children, Education, Kids, STEM, Technology

On February 11, the world celebrates the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. This day is dedicated to recognizing the achievements of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. It is meant to inspire the next generation of girls to pursue scientific careers. Despite progress over the past few decades, women remain underrepresented in many STEM disciplines (i.e., engineering, physics, and computer science). 

For more than a decade, I’ve studied how exposure to STEM can shape the trajectory of a child’s aspirations. Early exposure to STEM and the representation of women in STEM are especially critical to helping girls seem themselves as scientists.

The Problem: Underrepresentation of Women in STEM

The underrepresentation of women in STEM is not just a question of current numbers. It is deeply tied to the ways in which girls perceive STEM fields from a young age. One well-known tool for measuring these perceptions is the “Draw-A-Scientist” test. This research method has been used for decades to analyze how children envision scientists. 

A meta-analysis of children’s drawings found that early elementary school children drew male and female scientists in nearly equal numbers. However, high school students depicted male scientists four times more frequently than female scientists. This trend was even more pronounced among girls. At age six, about 70% of girls drew female scientists, but by age 16, only 25% did (Miller et al., 2018).

When girls don’t see themselves reflected in STEM careers, they are less likely to believe they belong in those fields. This can affect their motivation to pursue advanced coursework in science and math, reducing the likelihood of a STEM career. But research also shows a solution. Early exposure to STEM learning opportunities and female role models can foster a lasting interest in STEM.

The Importance of Early STEM Exposure

Research has consistently demonstrated that early exposure to STEM concepts and experiences can shape children’s long-term academic success and career aspirations (Bustamante et al., 2023). So how can parents, teachers, and mentors help foster a love of STEM in girls? There are several evidence-based strategies that can make a real difference.

1. Build a Better STEM Foundation with Toys and Spatial Talk

Play is a powerful way for children to develop STEM-related skills without even realizing it. Everyday toys and games like blocks, puzzles, and Legos are powerful ways to promote spatial reasoning, critical thinking, and problem solving. Research shows that early spatial reasoning (the ability to mentally manipulate shapes and objects) is a strong predictor of later success in engineering and math.

Importantly, playing with kids rather than having them play alone helps to increase enjoyment and scaffold their learning. For example, adults and kids can try building a tower together and predicting when it will fall over. Then, they can problem solve together to figure out how to prevent it from falling over again. 

Using spatial language (e.g., words like “up” “small” and “flip”) can enhance children’s spatial reasoning skills during play. Studies have found that parents who use more spatial language with their children see improvements in their children’s spatial abilities, especially for girls (Pruden & Levine, 2017).

2. Choose High-quality STEM TV Shows and Games

Representation matters. Media that portrays women and girls as capable scientists can help normalize these roles and inspire young viewers. One notable example is PBS’s SciGirls, a show that follows real girls engaging in STEM, from designing technology to conducting environmental research. Similarly, PBS’s Odd Squad TV series and games introduce children to problem-solving concepts in a fun, detective-style format that spotlights female characters. 

Fluent Research has partnered with similar organizations to conduct research on the impact of exposure to math games on children’s math learning. We have found that such games had a positive impact on foundational math skills. TV shows and games focused on STEM not only promote these important skills, but can challenge stereotypes of girls in STEM fields.

3. Give Girls more Real-World STEM Experiences

Extracurricular STEM programs provide girls with opportunities to explore science and technology outside the classroom. Organizations like Girls Who Code offer free programs that teach girls how to code in supportive, collaborative environments. Similarly, STEM-focused exposure to programs like summer camps and science fairs provide hands-on experience to a variety of STEM concepts that can pique their interest.

Programs that bring scientists and engineers into classrooms can also have a significant impact. Schools and community organizations can invite female professionals to speak about their work as scientists, engineers, and data analysts. When girls meet women in STEM careers, they recognize that success in these fields is both attainable and important.

Supporting the Next Generation of Women in STEM

Supporting the next generation of women in STEM is crucial for expanding the roles women play in these fields. Promoting girls’ interest in STEM is not just about creating opportunities. It’s about challenging stereotypes, providing role models, and fostering environments where girls can build confidence in their abilities. At Fluent, we are dedicated to conducting research that supports children’s engagement with STEM. By supporting these initiatives, we help ensure that the next generation of scientists and leaders in STEM includes more girls.

Written by Kelly Sheehan, Senior User Experience Researcher at Fluent Research

 

01 Aug

Posted at 14:07h in Children, Content, Wellbeing

As a researcher specializing in media, technology and children, my work is informed by my interest in, and knowledge of, child development. At Fluent Research, we have collaborated with numerous media companies to provide insights into the evolving experiences of children and parents with digital media.

One recurring theme in our research is the desire of both parents and children to limit their screentime, but their inability to do so consistently. This discrepancy in knowledge and practice often stems from parents feeling overwhelmed by the plethora of media choices, and their fear that if they limit screens, their children might feel left out. For kids, the compelling nature of digital content, peer influences, the omnipresence of screens in their daily lives, and the algorithms that feed them more and more content make it extremely challenging to limit their use of digital media.

With the passage of the new Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act in the U.S. Senate this week, we are on our way to implementing some new protections for kids. It’s about time!

This new bill marries two different acts, The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) 2.0. Both represent significant legislative efforts aimed at enhancing online safety and privacy for children. As this bill moves closer to passage, it is important to consider its implications.

• Kids Online Safety Act:

– KOSA aims to update and expand protections for children under 17.

– KOSA also provides guardians with more control over platforms, prevents features such as autoplay, and provides for stronger default privacy settings.

• Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule 2.0

– COPPA 2.0, which is an extension of the original COPPA, was enacted in 1998 to regulate the collection of personal information from children under 13.

– This new version of COPPA 2.o would also expand protections for teens.

– The proposed updates in COPPA 2.0 also address targeted advertising, data retention practices, and the need for verifiable parental consent.

– COPPA 2.0 aims to provide stronger safeguards in this new era of media saturation.

The passage of KOSA in the Senate and future passage in the U.S. House of Representatives could mark a significant step forward in protecting children’s digital wellbeing. As someone working every day at the intersection of media, technology, and child development, I believe these legislative measures are long overdue. They not only aim to safeguard privacy but also to foster healthier digital habits among children. By creating a more regulated and child-friendly digital landscape, we can help kids and parents alike navigate the complexities of technology while minimizing potential risks. In this ever-polarized political landscape, we can all come together and agree that our kids are worth protecting!

By Allison Caplovitz, Director, Content Research and Evaluation