Child Development and Media Lab

Director: Dr. Heather Kirkorian, PhD — Laura M. Secord Chair in Early Childhood Development & Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, UW–Madison

We lead an interdisciplinary research program investigating child development, family well-being, and tech-mediated learning in the digital age. Bridging developmental science, family science, and human-centered design, our team explores how young children and families interact with and adapt to rapidly evolving media environments—from television and touchscreen apps to LLMs and generative AI. Our core research areas include:

• Digital Parenting & Family Media Ecology: How parents dynamically leverage media to manage daily parenting demands and regulatory goals, and how digital media fits into family daily routines.

• Child Development, Play, & Family Interactions in the Digital Age: How screen media (e.g., background television) and emerging technology (e.g., conversational agents) influence children's development, play, and family interactions.

• Cognitive Processing, Interactivity, & Learning from Screens: How children pay attention to, comprehend, and learn from television and touchscreens, and how such research can inform the digital media design that supports learning, development, and relational health.

The Child Development and Media Lab may be accepting new graduate students for the upcoming 2027-28 academic year, depending on funding availability.