Blog
The Importance of Peer Relationships and Platonic Love During Adolescence
February 26, 2025Friends 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
February 14, 2025Digital 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
October 24, 2024In 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
October 10, 2024In 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
September 27, 2024In 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.