News
Food insecurity has lasting impacts on the brains and behavior of mice
September 12, 2022A new study from NSCA member Linda Wilbrecht and her team at UC Berkeley showed that for young mice, food insecurity led to differences in learning and decision making in adulthood. The results highlight the importance of ensuring stable access to nutritional food for human youth during adolescence.
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
Middle schoolers are social. What opportunity does that create for learning?
August 16, 2022Dr. Ron Dahl talked with Ki Sung at KQED MindShift about the intense social learning of early adolescence, and how that can impact middle school.
A Single, Quick ‘Mindset’ Exercise Protects against Adolescent Stress
July 6, 2022An online intervention to shift adolescents' mindsets about stressful events--like taking a test--was shown to lower stress and anxiety levels in those most vulnerable to stress. Reporter Lydia Denworth talked with NSCA member Dr. David Yeager about this new study and how it might change the way we prepare youth to tackle challenges.
More Sleep Could Improve Many U.S. Teenagers’ Mental Health
July 1, 2022As California's new law goes into effect pushing high school start times to 8:30 a.m. or later, our Co-Executive Director Dr. Andrew Fuligni talks about why sleep is so important to adolescents' mental health.
‘It’s Life or Death’: The Mental Health Crisis Among U.S. Teens
April 26, 2022National Scientific Council members Dr. Candice Odgers and Dr. Nick Allen are among the experts discussing youth mental health in this article from the New York Times.
Middle Schoolers Can Finally Take Off Their Masks. Why Some Really Don’t Want To.
February 28, 2022Los Angeles Times' reporter Deborah Netburn spoke with our Co-Executive Director Andrew Fuligni, PhD, about how middle schoolers may be feeling now that masking will no longer be required in schools.
Facebook’s Own Data Is Not as Conclusive as You Think About Teens and Mental Health
October 6, 2021NPR spoke with Candice Odgers, PhD, psychologist at UC Irvine and Duke University and member of our National Scientific Council on Adolescence, about why Facebook's marketing data on youth and social media—the subject of testimony to a Senate panel—doesn't match the research.
Report Offers Suggestions for Supporting Teens Experiencing Racism
September 27, 2021Natinal Scientific Council on Adolescence (NSCA) Co-Directors Dr. Joanna Williams and Dr. Jennifer Pfeifer spoke with Oregon Public Broadcasting's Think Out Loud about the the most recent council report on how anti-Black racism affects adolescents and how to support Black adolescents.
Plain Talk and Clear Guidance on Anti-Black Racism from a Council of Adolescent Scientists
September 22, 2021Karen Pittman, Founder and Senior Fellow of the Forum for Youth Investment (FYI) and member of our Advisory Board, offers a beautiful summary of the “stony optimism” of the NSCA’s first report, The Intersection of Adolescent Developing and Anti-Black Racism.
Teenagers Aren’t as Lonely in Lockdown if Interacting Positively Online
September 3, 2021A new study by our friend Dr. Lucía Magis-Weinberg at UC Berkeley, co-authored by CDA board director Dr. Ron Dahl and others, found that adolescents in Peru who used tech to connect online reported less loneliness during COVID-related lockdowns.