The Developing Brain in the Digital Age
A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Neurology & Neurodevelopmental Disorders".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 July 2026 | Viewed by 158
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Digital technologies are now embedded in the earliest environments, shaping brain development, learning, and relationships. Over the past decade, the rapid expansion of screens, digital play, and telehealth has transformed how infants and young children interact, yet evidence on neurodevelopmental impacts remains evolving and sometimes contested. Early research focused on screen time quantity; contemporary work increasingly examines content, context, caregiver mediation, and child vulnerability.
This Special Issue aims to critically examine early neurodevelopment in the digital era, integrating neuroscience, developmental paediatrics, psychology, education, and public health. It will highlight cutting-edge research on screen exposure, play, family dynamics, digital literacy, telehealth innovations, and implications for children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
We invite original research, systematic and scoping reviews, longitudinal cohort analyses, qualitative studies, policy perspectives, and practice-focused commentaries that advance evidence-informed guidance for clinicians, educators, and policymakers navigating digital childhoods.
Dr. Gayatri Jape
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- early neurodevelopment
- screen time
- digital media exposure
- parent–child interaction
- telehealth
- infant and toddler development
- digital play
- executive function
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