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Promoting Social Engagement and Preventing Digital Harms in Early Childhood

Welcome to the organizing page for 

GAINING

The Global Alliance for Inspiring Non-tech Infant Nurturing and Growth

Our Mission:

1) Raise global awareness of the extensive body of research showing links between early-
life screen media exposure and negative childhood social, emotional, brain, and physical
developmental outcomes
2) Raise global awareness of critical early-life face-to-face experiences with parents and
caregivers which are associated with positive social, emotional, and cognitive
development and the need of infants, babies, and toddlers for natural, physical play. 
3) Raise global awareness of screen media as both a displacement and disruptor of critical
early-life social and sensory experiences

On April 23, 2025, GAINING members from at least 32 nations will distribute Advisory Alerts for the purpose of educating government agencies, parents and caregivers, and providers of services to young children.

Download List of Top Worldwide Research Studies

Other Supporting Research

General Statement Models and Background Information

-Healthcare Agencies Statement Planning

-Draft Health Agencies Awareness Alert

Healthcare Professionals Statement Planning

-Draft Healthcare Professional Awareness Alert

Parents Statement Planning

-Draft Parents Awareness Alert

-Draft Parents Handout Card: parameters

-Draft Parents Handout Card: draft

Speaker Resources

Please join us for our next general meeting via Zoom on April 8, 2025 at 11:30am EDT (3:30pm UTC/GMT)

WATCH PREVIOUS MEETINGS:

October 6, 2023

November 29, 2023

January 18, 2024

January 26, 2024 Statements Planning Session

March 12, 2024

March 27, 2024 Parents Statement Planning Session

April 11, 2024

April 18, 2024 Healthcare Provide Statement Planning Session

April 25, 2024

July 10, 2024

September 26, 2024

October 24, 2024

December 4, 2024

January 9, 2025

February 13, 2025

March 11, 2025

These meetings are a follow-on action to an in-person first-time meetup on July 18, 2023, at the World Association for Infant Mental Health World Congress, held in Dublin, Ireland. Interested WAIMH members from 7 countries attended.

Meetup attendees were united in their concern about research presented at the conference which added to existing evidence that screen exposure is associated with a host of negative outcomes for babies and toddlers including:

  • Language delay
  • Structural brain changes
  • Deficits in executive functioning
  • Autism-like symptoms and other delays in social and emotional development
  • Disruption of parent-child attachment and early relational health 

We invite you to help find ways to increase understanding in this critically important area. We will explore how we can join forces to raise global awareness about what young children need for optimal growth and development.  

Your hosts are child development researchers and child advocates committed to raising worldwide awareness that young children need face-to-face, full-sensory, hands-on interaction with their parents, other people, and the real world—a process easily disrupted by digital device usage.  We want all parents to have the science-based information they need to make the best decisions for helping their children thrive.

If you have questions or would like to attend a meeting or join the Alliance, please email info@durablehuman.com

GAINING Co-founders

Karen Frankel Heffler, M.D., Department of Psychiatry, Drexel University College of Medicine Department
Karen Frankel Heffler, M.D., Department of Psychiatry, Drexel University College of Medicine
Lori Frome, M. Ed., Early Interventionist and child development researcher
Lori Frome, M. Ed., Early Interventionist and child development researcher
Jenifer Joy Madden, Certified Digital Wellness Educator and member of Screen Time Action Network
 Jenifer Joy Madden, Certified Digital Wellness Educator and member of Screen Time Action Network

GAINING Member Testimonials

Chase Davenport, IMH-E®, USA. Chase Davenport is the director of early intervention at Emory Valley Center in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and a member of the World Association for Infant Mental Health. 

Resources

I GAIN Without Screens! Download New Parent Information Card (Coming Soon!)

Screen Aware Early Action Kit

Be Tech Wise with Baby

Be Tech Wise with Toddler

Healthy Brain/Healthy Child Fact Sheets

Mount Sinai Sparks Video Series for Parents

Screen Time and Early Childhood Development World Summit 2025

French Committee of Experts Recommendations (in French): Submission of the report of the commission of experts on the impact of young people’s exposure to screens. | Élysée