Professor Sara Grimes named Bell University Labs Chair

As the newly appointed Bell University Laboratories Chair in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Professor Sara Grimes is set to spotlight children and their unique experiences with technology. Her research delves into children’s digital play and creativity, children’s rights in the digital environment, and the regulatory and ethical implications of “child-machine interaction,” the emerging study of children’s interactions with AI.

The study of children’s use of technology has evolved significantly since Grimes began her research. For the first 20 years, it was an uphill battle just to convince policymakers that children have rights online. The turning point came in 2021 with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, General Comment 25 which affirmed children’s rights in digital environments, raised awareness of the risks children face online and placed responsibility on countries and businesses to take action to address those risks. Grimes co-led Canada’s contribution to the children’s consultation for the GC25 alongside Professor Leslie Shade and submitted expert feedback on the draft.

Children’s rights in digital spaces include the right to easily access information that is true and relevant, freedom of expression, protection from violence and the right to privacy. Although there is still progress to be made, 2021 marked a significant departure from the status quo and prompted many to change their approach to designing technology for children. “Now you can go to an industry conference and talk about children’s rights, and there’s no eyeroll,” says Grimes. 

Grimes’ appointment to the Bell University Labs Chair coincides with the conclusion of her three-year project on age-appropriate design, a leading global framework for supporting children’s rights in government regulation of tech and related industries. She plans to build on this study during her five-year term as Chair, fostering international partnerships and shifting her focus to emerging AI-based technologies.  

“There’s a lot of ambiguity around children’s relationship to AI,” she says. “Everybody’s either worried or hopeful that AI is going to change children’s lives in some big way. But there’s very little put in place to make sure that the potential good things do happen and that the bad things don’t happen, in terms of regulation or industry norms.” According to Grimes, children are often the first and fastest adopters of smart devices in the home, but don’t necessarily understand their full scope. There is a distinct lack of literacy support for parents, let alone kids themselves, to help them make informed choices about AI in the home.  

For her next project, Grimes plans to work with families to understand what their hopes and concerns are about bringing AI into their homes, and to make recommendations to policymakers and companies about how to support the best interests of both children and parents moving forward. “The Bell Chair recognizes the emergence of a very important research area at the iSchool,” says Dean Javed Mostafa. “There are multiple dimensions to Sara Grimes’ work, not just HCI, but design, gaming and learning. She asks important questions about children and their development in a world where technology is so pervasive.” 

Grimes’ goal throughout her career has been to change things for the better for kids. That means not just focusing on establishing rules and policies but working directly with designers and developers to understand the constraints. This informs the recommendations she makes to companies and policymakers, ensuring their practicality and real-world application. But for Grimes, it’s clear who the most important voice in the room is. Children’s voices and concerns will be reflected in her research from day one.  “Everything needs to start with kids,” she says.