Enhancing Digital Wellbeing in Education: Co-Designing Classroom Solutions with Students

In the modern digital era, it is vital to educate young people about maintaining a healthy relationship with technology, as it significantly influences their social interactions and communication. Providing them with the tools to enhance their digital wellbeing is necessary, especially given the links between overuse of technology and mental health challenges. Although Digital Self-Control Tools (DSCT) provide quick solutions, their lasting impact remains uncertain. In contrast, an app-based educational approach, though less studied, may foster more lasting improvements in digital behaviors. Building on previous research, we organized and facilitated a workshop with 74 high school students from the third and fourth years, aiming to enable them to develop mobile apps to raise awareness and spread knowledge about digital wellbeing among their classmates. Our findings include the identification of four types of features to incorporate into an educational app that can be used in the classroom as part of an educational program alongside the teacher. Additionally, we considered how students' personalities may influence their creation and reception of these features. Finally, we presented five practical guidelines for creating a digital wellbeing education tool aimed at a teenage audience.