Call for Papers: Special Section of the ISSBD Bulletin-November 2026

This special section of the ISSBD Bulletin invites contributions that explore the role of AI in shaping human development from a lifespan perspective. We seek to bring together interdisciplinary insights that critically examine both opportunities and challenges associated with AI in diverse cultural and developmental contexts. We welcome submissions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

Research Areas of Interest

• AI in developmental contexts: The role of AI in education, parenting, peer interactions, and learning environments across childhood and adolescence
• Psychosocial development: Implications of AI use for identity development, well-being, social connectedness, and mental health
• Lifespan perspectives: AI use and adaptation in adulthood and ageing, including work, caregiving, and autonomy
• Inequality and access: Digital divides, cultural differences, and differential developmental opportunities linked to AI
• Human–AI interaction: How individuals understand, trust, and relate to AI systems across developmental stages
• Ethical considerations: Privacy, agency, bias, and developmental risks in AI-integrated environments
• Methodological and conceptual innovations: New approaches to studying AI within developmental science

We encourage contributions that are theoretically grounded, empirically informed, and/or offer integrative perspectives. Given the format of the ISSBD Bulletin, submissions should be accessible to a broad developmental science audience and may include brief empirical reports or conceptual papers.

We invite members of ISSBD who are interested in publishing a brief report on their work on this topic to send us a tentative title and short abstract on their proposed contribution by June 30, 2026. If invited to make a full contribution, the deadline for submitting the paper (about 2,000 – 2,500 words written in essay style) would be September 15, 2026. Publication is planned for the November 2026 issue of the ISSBD Bulletin.

We look forward to your contributions to this timely and important discussion on how AI is reshaping human development across the lifespan.