Author: pm

In today’s digital world, technology is an integral part of families’ and children’s lives. It’s not just about screen time; it’s about how they use it. We are creating practical resources to help families support children’s digital well-being and foster healthy, balanced technology use at home. For example, “Meaningful use of technology” means helping kids engage with digital tools in ways that support their learning, creativity, well-being, and personal growth. 

Why It’s Important

When kids use technology thoughtfully, they learn balance and self-awareness. They notice how their digital habits affect their mood, focus, and well-being. Kids who use tech purposefully are more likely to be curious, creative, and confident. They can express themselves, connect with others, and even create content that reflects their values and interests. Discussing what is important and what technology brings a certain meaning / fun interest to our lives makes families connect better.

Tips for Parents

• Ask about what feels good: Invite your child to share which apps or online activities energise them and which feel tiring. Celebrate small steps toward balanced use.
• Encourage creating and exploring: Help your child find ways to learn, create, or explore online that connect with their passions or hobbies.
• Show them how you do it: Let your child see how you pause, focus, and use technology intentionally—it’s a powerful example.

Fun Family Activities
for deepening connections and sharing what everyone cares about

Ages 10–12:
Sit down with your child and ask about their favorite app, game, or online activity. Try questions like:

• Where do you spend most of your time online?
• What do you enjoy most about this app or game?
• How does it make you feel?
• Does it help you learn or connect with friends?

Ages 12–14:
Have a family “favorite video or creator” time. Everyone shares one video or creator they love—parents included! Ask:

• What do you like most about this video or creator?
• How does it make you feel?
• What do you learn from them?
• How does this connect to your interests or goals?

Having these conversations with kids within families makes them all share and think about why they use technology and how it fits into their lives in a meaningful, positive way. It also allows them to learn more about each other, what is important to them at the present moment and how they feel about certain things. 

By fostering self-awareness and intentional engagement with technology, parents can help children grow into balanced, purposeful digital citizens who thrive both online and offline. The PERMA-Digital project is an excellent resource for families looking to support their children’s digital well-being. This initiative focuses on integrating the PERMA model—Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment—into digital education. It offers practical guides, tips, and examples to help parents and caregivers support their children’s balanced and healthy use of digital technology at home. Learn more at PERMA-Digital.

Digital well-being in education is more than just online safety. It’s about creating learning environments that are emotionally supportive, engaging, and empowering. But what does digital well-being mean from the perspective of those who design and deliver these technologies? In a recent focus group technology providers, including web developers, designers, and regional education managers, shared how thoughtful design and collaboration can make digital tools truly beneficial for students and teachers.

One clear message emerged: design matters. Strong relationships between educators and developers were seen as key to creating tools that truly meet classroom needs. Educators ensure relevance, while developers focus on accessibility, clarity, and features that support healthy digital habits. When platforms are smooth and intuitive, they reduce stress and help students stay focused. Also, the flexibility of digital tools and features like timers, mindfulness prompts and interactive elements were seen supporting healthy digital habits. Tech should support not only academic goals but also emotional growth, ethical digital behavior, and AI literacy, helping students navigate the digital world responsibly.

Beyond the platforms themselves, providers stressed the need for systemic support. Digital well-being must be embedded in curricula, backed by strategic policies, and supported by adequate infrastructure. Importantly, they called for a shift from simply providing hardware to building capacity by empowering educators through hands-on training, ongoing support, and incentives for participation.

Ultimately, digital well-being is a shared responsibility. It requires systemic support, thoughtful design, and empowered educators and students. With the right tools and training, digital environments can become spaces where learning and well-being go hand in hand.

Meet the PERMA Project

A comparative analysis of Cyprus, Finland, Greece, and Ireland reveals that while digital well-being is increasingly prioritised across EU education systems, its integration remains uneven. All four countries recognise digital well-being as a vital part of digital citizenship and media literacy, and they align their policies with broader EU strategies. Families and communities are also seen as key partners in fostering healthy digital habits. However, significant differences exist in how systematically each country defines, embeds, and assesses digital well-being in education.

When assessed through the PERMA framework, most countries perform well in promoting engagement and relationships, particularly through online safety initiatives and active digital learning. Yet, gaps remain in cultivating positive digital experiences, meaning-making, and accomplishment tracking. For example, Cyprus lacks structured approaches to relationships and meaning, Finland struggles with balancing autonomy and digital overload, Greece focuses heavily on technical skills at the expense of emotional well-being, and Ireland, though more advanced, still needs stronger measures for accomplishment and meaning.

To address these challenges, the report recommends clear national frameworks explicitly defining digital well-being, enhanced teacher training on digital ethics and emotional literacy, and the introduction of assessment tools to monitor progress. Whole-school strategies and cross-disciplinary collaboration are encouraged, alongside stronger family and community engagement. 

As part of its commitment to fostering digital well-being in schools, the PERMA-Digital project is developing a comprehensive PERMA-Digital Framework. This innovative model combines the PERMA model of positive psychology with the European frameworks DigComp 2.2 and LifeComp, while aligning with the SELFIE tool. 

Rooted in a whole-school approach, the framework supports schools in embedding digital well-being into their vision, curriculum, pedagogy, teacher development, and family engagement. It adopts a three-tiered prevention model—universal, targeted, and individual support—ensuring that the well-being of all learners and educators is addressed within the context of digital education.

The framework emphasizes adaptable, context-sensitive strategies that promote the adoption of sustainable, evidence-based practices. It offers practical guidance on how to cultivate key competencies—such as empathy, critical thinking, self-regulation, and online collaboration—while fostering positive emotions, engagement, meaningful connections, and a sense of accomplishment in digital learning environments. By mapping PERMA to digital and life skills, the framework helps schools create purposeful, emotionally supportive, and inclusive digital ecosystems that empower students and teachers to thrive.

The PERMA Digital Framework will be published in English, Greek and Finish in September 2025. Stay tuned!!! 

PERMA Digital project with a successful kick-off meeting held on June 11–12 in Nicosia, Cyprus. The meeting brought together partners from Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, Belgium, and Finland to collaboratively design a roadmap for promoting well-being through digital education.

PERMA Digital is an innovative, EU-funded initiative aiming to introduce a whole-school, systemic approach to well-being within digital learning environments. By combining research, experimentation, and cross-national collaboration, the project will assess its impact on learners and educators, paving the way for broader implementation.

Stay tuned as we reshape the future of education—digitally and meaningfully.