Přehled o publikaci

“What if your phone came to life and wanted to discuss your relationship?” Adolescents often describe their mobile phones as both a “refuge” (providing comfort) and a “burden” (causing stress). We call this phenomenon ‘a phone paradox’. Multiple studies confirm that high screen time is consistently linked to lower well-being, while current digital literacy often lacks an experiential component to address deep emotional attachments. To address this topic, we developed an artistic-educational program for teenagers at primary and secondary schools (age 14–18) named Dotykáče. The aim of the program is to provide teenagers with space for reflecting upon their relationship to their phones and to raise their awareness of their habits with the device. In 2025, Dotykáče was tested with four testing groups (in total approx. 75 teenagers) in Czechia. The program consists of a digital storytelling web app and a subsequent workshop programme. Inviting teenagers to use their own devices and earphones, the app personifies the phone as a character employing various methods (which include chat, audio, video, and gaming elements) to develop user interaction with both the device and classmates. Borrowing from the performative format known as autoteatro, the app facilitates a self-reflective experience that serves as an artefact for the subsequent workshop. The workshop, grounded in the Montessori pedagogical system and Erikson’s developmental psychology, uses creative teaching approaches (theatre education games, discussion based upon visual materials gained through the app) to deepen both individual and collective understanding of the experience.