Human Flourishing in a Digital Age

Why Long-View Philanthropy Matters More Than Ever

Philanthropy often operates at the surface. We fund programs. We respond to crises. We attempt to alleviate what is visible.

But occasionally, someone chooses to fund the question rather than the solution.

Sylia Obagi is doing exactly that.

In a recent feature published by Philanthropy Southeast, she discusses the Winston's Family Foundation’s $13 million investment in the University of North Carolina’s Human Flourishing Program. The goal is not simply to reduce screen time among children. It is to understand what excessive digital exposure is doing to the developing brain and how we restore equilibrium in a generation growing up immersed in technology.

This is not anti-technology. It is pro-awareness.

As Sylia explains:

“This is a paradigm shift.”

She compares the research to the early days of smoking awareness. Once science clarified the neurological and physical effects, public health shifted. Systems shifted. Behavior shifted.

The emerging research around screen exposure suggests something similar: overstimulation may be altering attention spans, emotional regulation, and cognitive development in ways we are only beginning to understand.

The initiative’s framework is simple and powerful:

"Less screen. More green."

Encourage nature exposure. Build digital boundaries. Reinforce real-world connection.

At Conscious Wealth, this resonates deeply with our pillars of Connection and Conscious Health. Wealth without wellbeing narrows. Philanthropy without foresight reacts rather than prepares.

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Why This Matters for Families of Wealth

Families who steward capital across generations often ask: What is the highest and best use of our resources?

Sometimes the answer is not a building or a naming opportunity. It is research. It is systems change. It is funding the long view.

Digital technology is not going away. But neither is our responsibility to understand its impact. If philanthropy can shape the research agenda today, it can shape cultural outcomes tomorrow.

Sylia’s work reminds us that legacy is not simply what we leave behind financially. It is the cognitive, emotional, and relational capacity of the generations that follow.

That is human flourishing.

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Originally published in Philanthropy Southeast, Winter 2025.