DESIGNING RESPONSIBLE CHILD CHARACTER–CENTERED PERSUASIVE SYSTEMS: ETHICAL AND SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS

Recent advances in design science and persuasive technologies have significantly enhanced the capacity to address global challenges such as poverty, environmental degradation, and poor health. Despite these developments, the health status of children in many developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, continues to deteriorate. Existing child protection and public health interventions have largely focused on visible forms of abuse and the roles of parents, teachers, caregivers, and other direct influencers in children’s environments. However, limited attention has been paid to the hidden persuasive influences embedded in child-centered digital and physical designs created by designers, content developers, and commercial actors. This paper examines the emerging trend of child-character-centered persuasive systems and highlights their potential health, emotional, social, moral, and physical implications for children. Drawing on concepts from persuasive design and persuasive technology, the study discusses how games, mobile applications, television content, electronic devices, and other persuasive products shape children’s daily experiences and behaviors. The paper argues that these largely invisible persuasive mechanisms may contribute to behavioral maladjustments that can develop into more complex psychosocial and health problems if left unchecked. It further emphasizes the need for ethical scrutiny, interdisciplinary collaboration, and responsible design practices that prioritize child welfare over commercial success. Greater awareness of these hidden persuasive influences may assist educators, health professionals, designers, and policymakers in identifying the roots of harmful behavioral outcomes and in developing preventive strategies that promote healthier childhood development.