Many children and teens don’t know what a clinical trial is or why it is important for them to participate. They also may not know about their rights as a participant and how safeguards are built into trials, which are designed to protect them. Without this information, young people may be understandably nervous or hesitant to participate. Some of the medical procedures used in clinical trials research may be unfamiliar or uncomfortable as well. That’s why we created DigiKnowIt News, a fun and interactive website. The website was designed to educate children and teenagers about clinical trials to help them be able to make informed decisions about their participation.

DigiKnowIt News offers young people the chance to do their own investigations into the different parts of clinical trials, read animated comic books with relatable situations, and hear other children and teens talk about their own experiences participating in research. By being more informed, children and teens have the confidence and knowledge to make a decision to be part of a study, which could make the recruitment process easier for researchers. Researchers can purchase and customize their own DigiKnowIt News website to fit their specific study’s methods and participant recruitment needs, including selecting specific content for children and teens to view and adding study logos and descriptions of procedures.