MediaMovez and SocialMovez during Weekend van de Wetenschap

A(I)mong Us by SocialMovez

The imposter game A(I)mong Us is inspired by the popular game Among Us. In this game children engage in conversation while playing. The main goal of A(I)mong Us is to gather text samples of how kids talk to each other in a less personal and more playful setting, which can provide insights into their communication styles, also known as the stylome. "The concept suggests everyone has a distinct linguistic style, like a personal fingerprint, reflecting individuality. This style is more about how people express themselves rather than the content of their discussions", Schlicht explains. 

The researchers analyze how children interact during this game. "Eventually, we hope to identify effective ways to engage them in interventions related to health and behaviour, such as promoting healthy eating." One of the things the researchers want to discover is if AI, like ChatGPT, can learn and mimic children's communication styles. "We'll let the kids guess which AI-generated responses best match their way of speaking and assess how well the AI has captured their unique styles", Schlicht explains. "By the end of the sessions, we hope to raise awareness among the children about the hidden information in their online communications and discuss the implications of AI's use of such data." 

Schlicht emphasizes on the importance to understand the communication styles of children to maintain their willingness to participate in research. “We are trying to understand whether using language familiar to children affects their engagement in research and is more effective in stimulating/promoting a healthy lifestyle.” The team finds it important that educational messages are delivered in a relatable and engaging manner.

Let's Movez Together project by MediaMovez

Doornhein explains that researchers and professionals often struggle to engage children in a meaningful way in intervention design and development. “With the Let’s Movez Together project, we involve children in creating a tool that makes child participation more accessible to other professionals and researchers, specifically in the context of digital resilience.” During the Weekend van de Wetenschap, children can play an escape game, which is about understanding the online world from the children’s perspectives. Besides all the opportunities it offers, the online world also comes with risks, such as negative social interactions, being hacked, screen addiction and exposure to discomforting videos or photos. 

This project will gain insight into which intervention techniques, from children's perspective, promote their digital resilience. “To research this, we will use the newly developed prototype tool designed together with the children”. During the Weekend van de Wetenschap, they will test the second version of the prototype. "In Escape Your Screen, children are trapped in their screen and thus in their online world. By exploring their online challenges, devising strategies to deal with them, and finding solutions to obstacles, they gain more control over their online experiences". 

Doornhein adds that with this game, they are trying to help children develop skills, feel heard, and gain a sense of agency over their online experiences. “Children’s face their online challenges in an escape game and collaborate with their parents to solve those challenges.” Ultimately, the children can escape from their screen through various ways, such as puzzles, riddles, and games.

Learning from direct interaction with children

Neither of the teams will use the data for research purposes because it is not allowed from the organization. However, both projects serve as valuable ways to engage with children and observe their communication patterns in a less personal context. "At this point, we find it important to learn from the direct interactions with children rather than using the data for formal research," Doornhein explains.