Blog

Supporting Entrepreneurship and Economic Innovation during Adolescence

Research has shown that adolescents are exceptional learners and are more willing than adults to explore situations with uncertain outcomes. In the last session of the 2025 Adolescent Development Symposium, researchers and young entrepreneurs discussed why brain development during adolescence makes us particularly inclined to innovate and participate in entrepreneurship, and how this can be a way for young people to take positive risks and even set them up for future success.

Economic Support for the Transition to Adulthood

Transitioning to the responsibilities and demands of adulthood can be both exciting and challenging for us all. But without support, the challenges can make the path to a financially secure adulthood more difficult, as young people need to prioritize securing necessities like housing or food, and delay or forego opportunities that could increase their economic mobility. In the second session of the 2025 Adolescent Brain Development Symposium, researchers, policymakers, and youth advocates discussed how we could use financial assistance to help young people navigate this transition to adulthood and how we should implement these types of programs.

Building a Thriving Workforce: Career Preparation During Adolescence

“Workforce development and focusing on career preparation is fundamentally a developmental question,” says Andrew Fuigni, co-executive director of UCLA CDA, to kick off the first panel discussion of our 2025 Adolescent Brain Development Symposium on economic opportunity.

So, how do we create career preparation policies and programs that effectively support young people in the pursuit of meaningful careers while integrating developmental science to support positive development and future outcomes?

The Opportunities and Effects of Climate Action on Adolescents

Adolescence is a period of significant brain and social development, when we are particularly sensitive to the world around us. This sensitivity can create challenges to young people’s mental health and well-being when they experience or are exposed to information and images about climate change. But these changes can also increase youth’s motivation to participate in climate action, which can mitigate these negative effects while providing an opportunity for them to fill key developmental needs.

Early Adolescence as an Important Window of Opportunity for Positive Development

Early adolescence is a critical window of opportunity to set up young people for a healthy and thriving adulthood. This month, we talked to a leading expert in early adolescent development, Dr. Ron Dahl, about what exactly early adolescence is and why it is so crucial to support young people as they go through this period of development.

The Importance of Peer Relationships and Platonic Love During Adolescence

Friends have a new importance to us as we enter adolescence. During adolescence, we become more sensitive to positive feelings from belonging, acceptance, and mattering to others. Forming friendships becomes more important to us, and is necessary for healthy development. Hear from experts, practitioners, and young people as they discuss the importance of peer relationships during adolescence. This post is based on the Love in Adolescence: The Importance of Friendships and Platonic Love webinar discussion.

Social Media and Adolescents

Digital technology, and specifically social media, is a tool that many young people use in their daily lives to form connections, acquire knowledge, and navigate complex systems. There are clear benefits to social media use during adolescence but there are also clear risks. Hear from experts and young people as they discuss how to mitigate the risks of these online spaces and promote the benefits. This post is based on the recent Adaptivity podcast episode, “Social Media and Adolescents.”

The Impact of Civic Engagement on Purpose

In the last discussion of our 2024 Adolescent Brain Development Symposium, Joanna Williams, Senior Director of Research at Search Institute, took the stage with Le’Yondo Dunn, CEO of YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School, and Haafizah Carter, an alumnus of the school, to talk about the impact of civic engagement on purpose.

The Impact of Civic Engagement on Exploration and Risk Taking

In the third discussion of our 2024 symposium, science journalist Lydia Denworth talked with Natasha Duell, assistant professor of Psychology and Child Development at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, LaJuan Allen, director of Vote16USA, and Audrey Rothenberg, a senior at Culver City High School and volunteer at Vote16 Culver City about how civic engagement can support the need to explore and take positive risks during adolescence.

The Impact of Civic Engagement on Belonging

In the second discussion of our 2024 Adolescent Brain Development Symposium, science journalist Lydia Denworth spoke with Veronica Terriquez, PhD, MEd, professor at UCLA, Jose Salvador Orellana, executive director and co-founder of LOUD for Tomorrow, and Jessa Bayudan, volunteer and alumni of LOUD for Tomorrow, about the importance of creating spaces for diverse communities where adolescents feel they belong and are empowered to become agents of change.