By Evangelia Amvrosiou
Ordinary children, in extraordinary ways, can rise above adversity—that is resilience.
— Developmental psychologist Ann S. Masten
In today’s digital era, it’s important for children to find their identity and stay emotionally grounded both online and offline. Here’s how to help children build that inner strength necessary for growth:

1. Open Communication & Media Literacy
   Create an environment where kids feel comfortable discussing online experiences. As Rutledge advises, encourage them to talk about cyber experiences, brainstorm solutions to digital problems, and resist the urge to find solutions for them.
2. Set Smart Digital Boundaries
   Excessive screen time highly correlates with anxiety and aggression . Healthy routines—like device-free meals and screen-time limits help children focus on real-world relationships and how to manage emotions.
3. Encourage Digital Self-Regulation
   The trend of children limiting their own smartphone use—in half of surveyed 12–15 year olds—shows rising adaptability and self-discipline The Economic Times+10The Guardian+10reddit.com+10. Support this by co-developing simple rules: turning off notifications, taking breaks, and balancing online/offline life.
4. Model Resilience Habits
   Children learn from behaviour. Demonstrate healthy technology use and emotional coping by approaching stressful situations calmly, showing how to step back, breathe, and think before acting Psychology Today.
5. Teach Growth Mind-set & Coping Strategies
   Embed phrases like, “Mistakes help us grow,” when setbacks happen—online or in life. Normalize challenges, guide them to find coping tools, reframe negative thoughts, and celebrate solutions.
6. Promote Offline Play & Self-Awareness
   Encourage unstructured activities like sports, art, board games to build confidence and emotional awareness. Off-screen moments let children develop empathy, impulse control, and stress-coping skills, making it easier for them to communicate with people in the real world as well as build independence mentally and emotionally.
   In a digital world, emotional resilience is the foundation for a healthy mind. As Ann Masten reminds us: with a loving environment and purposeful guidance, ordinary kids can thrive in extraordinary ways.