The LEGO Group and LEGO Foundation have launched a new phase of the Responsible Innovation in Technology for Children initiative, seeking to prioritise children’s wellbeing in the gaming world.
The new phase of the Responsible Innovation in Technology for Children (RITEC) initiative is a three-year long plan sponsored by the LEGO Group, funded by the LEGO Foundation and led by UNICEF.
RITEC’s goal is to increase awareness of children’s wellbeing in digital spaces and embed that awareness into development processes via the adoption of child-centred design principles across the gaming industry. The initiative began in 2021, co-founded by the LEGO Group and UNICEF with funding from the LEGO Foundation.
This new phase builds on three years of previous research and the development of a toolkit for developers to use and learn from, now focusing on the advancement of awareness and the adoption of approaches that will ensure children’s well-being will be supported in videogames.
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To accomplish this, RITEC will convene industry leader to help align them on shared approaches; translate research into easy-to-understand tools and guides; and support implementation of child-centred design principles across digital play environments.
A study from UNICEF found that nine in ten children play online games, and thus the LEGO Foundation has pledged $4.9 million to support the next phase of this initiative. The LEGO Group—which operates separately from the LEGO Foundation — will participate by providing guidance regarding safe-for-children game design, something it has pioneered since before TT Games’ iconic series of titles began in 2005.
“The gaming industry reaches more children than almost any institution on earth,” said UNICEF Office of Innovation Global Director Thomas Davin. “RITEC is how we work together to make sure that reach becomes an opportunity — designing children’s well-being into every experience, where it belongs.”
“We believe that research should not stop at insight — it should shape how experiences are designed for children,” added Joe Savage, Head of Impact & Evidence at the LEGO Foundation. “Through this new phase of RITEC, we are proud to support partners working to embed evidence-based approaches into digital play, so more children can benefit from safe, inclusive and meaningful experiences.”
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