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Techdirt Podcast: What An Actual Expert Thinks About Kids & Social Media
June 18, 2024NSCA member and Professor of Psychological Science and Informatics at UC Irvine Candice Odgers talks with podcast host Michael Masnick about the research into youth mental health and social media use—and how blaming tech could cause us to miss the real challenges young people face.
Press Releases
February 25, 2025: Announcing the UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent’s 2024 Annual Report
January 17, 2023: New Guides Help Organizations Build Effective Youth Engagement Programs
August 16, 2021: New Report Examines Intersection of Anti-Black Racism on Youth Development
November 30, 2020: Center for the Developing Adolescent Announces New Advisory Board Members
October 1, 2020: Center for the Developing Adolescent Announces New Leadership
Stay in the Know
What Research Actually Says about Social Media and Kids’ Health
June 18, 2024Even as the surgeon general recommends warning labels for parents and kids about social media, there is still debate about whether or to what extent technology may be negative for youth. NSCA member Candice Odgers is cited in this overview of what research tells us about social media and youth mental health.
Transitioning Gender Identities Is Not Linked With Depression
May 22, 2024“We found that gender identity is not the primary driver of mental health. Mental health is related to the environment young people are living in,” said NSCA member Stephen Russell, describing results from a new study that he co-authored.
The Panic Over Smartphones Doesn’t Help Teens
May 21, 2024“Focusing solely on social media may mean that the real causes of mental disorder and distress among our children go unaddressed,” writes NSCA member Candice Odgers in this article explaining the research on youth and digital technology for The Atlantic.
STEPS for Youth Tool Aims to Explain Science of Adolescence to Policymakers
May 13, 2024UCLA CDA’s upcoming STEPS for Youth—an online resource summarizing developmental science for policymakers—is spotlighted in this overview from reporter Danielle H. Cho at the Daily Bruin.
A Sense of Purpose Can Support Teen Mental Health
April 4, 2024Researchers Patrick Hill and NSCA member Anthony Burrow, co-authors of the NSCA’s recent report on purpose in adolescence, explain why a sense of purpose is important to youth mental health and how adults can help young people cultivate their purpose.
The Great Rewiring: Is Social Media Really Behind an Epidemic of Teenage Mental Illness?
March 29, 2024In a book review for Nature, NSCA member Candice Odgers explains what research actually says about social media and youth mental health—and how current narratives may be causing us to miss the real challenges facing young people today.
Leveraging the Opportunity of Adolescence to Reduce Chronic Absenteeism
March 14, 2024UCLA CDA Co-Executive Director Andrew Fuligni and Policy and Practice Director Elise Brumbach explain how insights from developmental science could help schools promote attendance and engagement for middle and high school students.
The Hidden Evolutionary Advantages of the Teenage Brain
February 21, 2024NSCA member Linda Wilbrecht, PhD, talked with writer Tom Leslie at New Scientist about how our brains during adolescence are particularly suited to help us learn and explore in the midst of uncertainty.
A Campus Space for LGBTQ Students Closed. A ‘Women’s Community Center’ Took Its Place.
February 12, 2024Research shows that students do better in school when they feel safe, and LGBTQ+ centers make them feel both safe and seen, explains NSCA member Stephen Russell in this piece about what is lost when diversity, equity, and inclusion bans take effect at colleges and universities.