LEGO and UNICEF release eight key frameworks to promote child wellbeing in games

The LEGO Group and UNICEF’s years-long child wellbeing partnership continues with the release of new guidelines for games developers.

Aiming to promote and advise on children’s "wellbeing outcomes", the pair have released the Responsible Innovation in Technology for Children Design Toolbox with practical tools and resources around game design features included.

Eight key frameworks

Based upon research with 787 children aged eight to 12 across 18 different countries, the resources were built around eight core frameworks:

• Safety and security
• Autonomy
• Competence
• Emotions
• Relationships
• Creativity
• Identities
• Diversity, equity and inclusion

In line with these frameworks, LEGO and UNICEF have advised that games developers allow children to "freely choose how they engage with digital play" while providing opportunities for them to learn how to recognise and regulate "a range of emotions".

Facilitating social connections, a sense of belonging and an exploration of self-identity are also important, according to the framework.

Games could also be used to "encourage children to engage curiously and use their imagination to build, invent and experiment", according to LEGO and UNICEF, though they acknowledged that "no single game can do everything at once for all children, just as children do not all have the same needs".

Best for business

UNICEF has also provided a business case for developers to take this framework on board, arguing that there’s a "clear" return on investment when focusing on children’s wellbeing. Namely, it could improve risk management around child safety, improve brand reputation and encourage recruitment.

"When children’s wellbeing is considered in the design process, children may experience more well-being outcomes during play with resulting products: autonomy, competence, creativity, relationships, and more, which can lead to engagement, joy and children who thrive," read a statement from UNICEF.

"Both parents and children are increasingly valuing trustworthy digital play that respects children’s safety and supports growth and wellbeing. Businesses that prioritise designing for child wellbeing can differentiate themselves from their competitors and with their customers."