Children and Screens-institute of Digital Media and Child Development Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Children and screens works towards developing human capital in the field through encouraging new and mid-career professionals to participate in the institute's multidisciplinary conferences, meetings, and events; providing scholarships for graduate students and fellows; and, through administering a robust internship/apprenticeship program. The institute's convenings foster collaboration of new professionals with more well-established researchers and as well as develop a holistic understanding of the cognitive, psychological and physical impacts of digital media and toddlers, children, and adolescents. The institute's internship program provides opportunities for budding students to explore this field of research, media or education, provide job experience and mentorship, and to help build future researchers. The institute also engages students and early career professionals in its retreat programs, such as the "digital media and the developing brain" neuroscience research retreat. Another project which involves several young investigators, the media impact screening toolkit, will eventually provide a roadmap for creating a comprehensive set of instruments to identify and assess health and wellness concerns related to digital media in the pediatric population.children and screens' communication, outreach, and education programs provide evidence-based, actionable information about children's use of digital media and its impact on their health and development to parents, educators, health professionals, public health experts, andother professionals and stakeholders. These programs also provide guidance regarding parents and caregivers' use of digital media and its impact on child health. The institute accomplishes this facet of its mission through extensive information on its website, workshops, social media, public speaking engagements, media interviews, press releases, blogs and participation in conferences. Children and screens has a mission to advance and support objective, rigorous and scientific research into the impacts of digital media on child health and development through grant funding, interdisciplinary convenings and curation and publication of state-of-the-art research. Children and screens also works actively to incorporate questions into existing national longitudinal studies and assist in the development of new questions. The institute hosted "digital media and the developing brain," a research retreat convening world-renowned experts on the cognitive implications of digital media use throughout development. In addition, the institute funded the publication of a scoping review, a synthesis and systematic understanding of published screening tools used to assess problematic internet use toward the development of a media impact screening toolkit for clinicians and researchers.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 76.8%; rating input score 77
• Fundraising efficiency: $4.78 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 16; 16th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 6 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Pass
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Pass
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: 3 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 38
  • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
  • Requires narrative reports: Limited
  • Conducts field audits: Limited
  • May suspend future funding: Limited
  • Requires financial reports: Pass
  • Conducts site visits: Limited
  • Requires grant agreements: Pass
  • May require repayment: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 76th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 6 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 67
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -95.7%; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.02; rating input score 65; 65th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 60; 60th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 24.7%; rating input score 10; 10th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 22.1% per year; rating input score 100; 85th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 13.2% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 23.6% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings