Lack of physical activity and excessive sitting, watching inappropriate content, social isolation, cyberbullying… All of these and even more risks associated with the unhealthy use of digital technologies, as well as the complex development of children’s resilience to them, will be targeted by a multidisciplinary team led by researchers from the UP Faculty of Physical Culture under the project ReDiKid: Children in the Digital World. The results of the four-year project funded by the Johannes Amos Comenius Operational Programme will find their applications in the fields of education, legislation, and prevention of risky behaviour.
The research activities, which also aim to strengthen children’s physical, mental, and social adaptability to the changing conditions of the contemporary world, will focus mainly on children aged 9–11. “This period represents a critical stage of development when children begin to use digital technologies intensively, which significantly affects their digital literacy, social interactions, and online behaviours. In addition, at this age, fundamental psychological and cognitive changes begin to occur, which shape their ability to respond to digital challenges and risks,” explained the project’s principal investigator, Prof Jana Pelclová from the Institute of Active Lifestyle at the Palacký University Olomouc Faculty of Physical Education.
“Our goal is not only to grasp the phenomenon of resilience in children theoretically, but also to gain new knowledge related to the relationship between resilience and risk behaviours, analysing external and internal factors such as physical behaviour, digital literacy, and the school environment. We will also conduct laboratory investigations on psychophysiological aspects of resilience, i.e. the ability to overcome adverse situations, and use ambulatory data collection to gain unique insights into individuals’ behaviour in natural settings and the impact of digital media on their mental resilience,” she added.
The kernel of the multidisciplinary research team is made up of researchers from the UP Faculty of Physical Culture, while colleagues from other departments of Palacký University, such as the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Arts, will also contribute their expertise in the areas of mental and physical health and the legal aspects of the use of digital technologies. Research activities will also involve experts from Masaryk University in Brno, the University of Hradec Králové, and researchers from renowned foreign institutions such as Yale University and Victoria University, Australia.
The findings will be used to develop targeted intervention and education programmes aimed at developing physical, mental, and social resilience in children and adolescents, by means of promoting physical activity, healthy sleep habits, digital literacy, and social skills. Planned workshops and seminars will be aimed at parents, educators, and professionals working with children and adolescents.
The results of the project will also include methodologies that should set new standards for research on resilience and on the physical and digital behaviours of children in the Czech as well as international environment; conducted legal analyses should have an impact on the adjustment of the Czech legal framework in order to better protect children in the digital environment.
“I am very excited and delighted about this project, however not only because it is the only project under the auspices of Palacký University that succeeded in the call focused on social sciences and humanities. I am very grateful to Prof Pelclová and all those who have participated in the work that has been done so far, and I look forward to the results that will contribute to a healthier future for children,” said Michal Šafář, Dean of the UP Faculty of Physical Culture.
The four-year project ReDiKid: Resilient Children in the Digital World (reg. no. CZ.02.01.01/00/23_025/0008686) is funded by the Johannes Amos Comenius Operational Programme within the call Social Sciences and Humanities: People and Humanity in the Global Challenges of Today. The cost of research activities is estimated at €6 million.