UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent

We know that digital tech comes with benefits as well as risks—and for young adolescents, that balance might be different than for older youth. NSCA member Jacqueline Nesi is quoted in the @nytimes.com discussing when adolescents might be ready for a smartphone:
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/01/w...

Congratulations to National Scientific Council on #Adolescence member Candice Odgers for being one of Clarivate's 2025 “Highly Cited Researchers”! Odgers' research focuses on how technology and social inequality impact adolescents.
Read more below ⬇️

Family with a young adolescent and an older adolescent shopping for food.

To set up our young people for thriving futures, we need to provide them with enough healthy food.
In a new blog post, we explain how food insecurity impacts adolescents, and highlight changes to food assistance programs & related data collection: developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/blog/item/th...

Fast Facts About Supporting Adolescents Five Years After COVID

Kindergarteners at the start of COVID are now in middle school—they are early adolescents. In a new resource, we provide facts about how the COVID pandemic impacted youth & why early adolescence offers an opportunity to shape positive trajectories: developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/topics/item/...

How can we support the early adolescents who were kindergarteners during COVID as they transition to middle school?
This new article quotes NSCA members during a UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent media briefing last week.
Read the full article below ⬇️

Ronald Dahl on The Adolescence Window Explore why adolescence is a window of opportunity for learning, agency, and mattering with Dr. Ronald Dahl on this insightful episode of the Getting Smart Podcast.

CDA founder and #Adaptivity podcast host Ron Dahl was on the @gettingsmart.bsky.social podcast discussing how #adolescence is a critical developmental phase that presents unique opportunities for fostering agency, contribution, & authentic mattering!
🎙️Listen now: www.gettingsmart.com/podcast/rona...

E2: Ready or Not? Youths' Unique Strengths and Capacities

CDA founder Ron Dahl spoke on the Gen Change podcast hosted by @euralumni.bsky.social! During the episode, host @drkaylagreen.bsky.social and Dahl delve into the unique strengths and capacities that make adolescents potential agents of change.
Listen now: open.spotify.com/episode/2BCa...

Today, our friends at @scholarsnstory.bsky.social released their annual Teens and Screens Report! This report is based on a survey of 1,500 adolescents & explores young people's perspectives on different media & media use. 🎬
Check out the full report: www.scholarsandstorytellers.com/teens-screen...

UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent Fall Research Roundup. Image of teen girls in fall leaves.

Interested in the latest research on adolescent development?
🧠🍂 Check out our Fall Research Roundup for a recap of new studies that highlight the importance of adaptive risk taking, close parental relationships, support in early high school & more: developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/topics/item/...

CDA Resource: Supporting Healthy Development in Adolescents from Immigrant Families

In our new CDA resource, we provide information about the unique characteristics, experiences & developmental needs of adolescents from immigrant families, and provide research-based recommendations on how to best support this population.
Read now: developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/topics/item/...

Limiting data on food insecurity will make it harder to create informed, research-based systems that support the nutritional needs of our families & adolescents.
Learn how food insecurity uniquely impacts adolescent development in our new resource: developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/steps-for-yo...

In the latest episode of our #Adaptivity podcast, authors of The Disengaged Teen talk with host Ron Dahl about why disengagement might happen, and how we can harness adolescents' natural proclivities to spark genuine engagement.
Listen now: developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/podcasts/ite...

STEPS for Youth Science Spotlight: Providing Stable Access to Healthy Food Supports Adolescents’ Brain Development as Well as Physical and Mental Health

In a new Science Spotlight, we explain the consequences of food insecurity during #adolescence and offer ways to use scientific insights to help ensure that adolescents get the reliable nutrition their developing brains and bodies need.

Read more: developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/steps-for-yo...

Adriana Galván on the Adolescent Brain, Stress and Systems that Support Young People UCLA’s Adriana Galván joins Lisa Lawson to unpack adolescent brain science and how schools, justice and social systems can help young people thrive.

In the latest episode of The @annieecaseyfdn.bsky.social's podcast #CaseyCast, Co-Executive Director Adriana Galván speaks with the foundation’s CEO, Lisa Lawson­, about the adolescent brain, stress, and systems that support young people!

Listen now: www.aecf.org/blog/adriana...

Sign up for Youth Today's newsletter today!

Interested in articles about issues affecting youth and youth development?
Our colleagues at #YouthToday offer a diverse range of content, including news, opinions, and updates for people who believe that when youth thrive, we all thrive.
Sign up for their newsletter today: youthtoday.org/subscribe/

Youth Engagement in Evaluation: A Guide for Youth-Serving Organizations

Engaging young people in the evaluation of programs can create effective and informed services.
Read how to partner with young people to both support their development and improve program design with our guide, “Youth Engagement in Evaluation”: developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/assets/uploa...

Students from the 2025 Summer Research Boot camp pose on the UCLA campus.

In a new blog post, students who attended the Summer Research Boot Camp explore the reasons why diverse friendships during #adolescence can be powerful drivers of inclusive mindsets, & offer ways we can promote these friendships in school settings: developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/blog/item/in...

High school students at the 2025 Summer Research Boot Camp gather in an MRI viewing room to learn more about brain scans.

What if the secret to improving mental health during #adolescence was just…more sleep?💤
Read from students who attended the Summer Research Boot Camp about the importance of sleep & hear proposed interventions to help young people get more of it: developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/blog/item/us...

UCLA Newsroom article, "A Mind of One's Own" cover photo: Adriana Galván and other researchers

Co-Executive Director Adriana Galván was featured in a @uclacollege.bsky.social Newsroom article and podcast that provides insights into adolescent development, memory, and the fight to protect our brains!
Read more: newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/a-mi...

Adaptivity podcast episode, "Sparking Engagement," with host Ron Dahl and guests Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop.

In a new #Adaptivity podcast episode, host Ron Dahl speaks with the authors of The Disengaged Teen about how we can harness adolescents’ natural motivations for agency and connection to spark authentic engagement in education! ✨
Listen now🎙: developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/podcasts/ite...

Interested in knowing more about the teenage brain? 🧠
Sign up today for the Teen Brain Bootcamp, a free science-based email course from @knowablemag.bsky.social that features research and insights from our Co-Executive Director Adriana Galván!
Learn more below ⬇️

Students at the 2025 Summer Research Boot Camp on Adolescent Development examine sheep brains.

During the 2025 Summer Research Boot Camp, high school students came together for two weeks to learn about the developing adolescent brain!
Read the student's blog post about what they learned & how it will inform their perspectives moving forward: developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/blog/item/ex...

Early Adolescence: A Window of Opportunity for Educators to Support Positive Mental Health

This back-to-school season, we want to highlight last year's National Scientific Council on #Adolescence brief, which offers research-based recommendations for middle-school educators to promote positive mental health among early adolescents! developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/topics/item/...

The last day to vote for our @sxsw.com & @sxswedu.com proposal is THIS Sunday, August 24‼️ Let's focus the conversations around AI on promoting healthy development in our young people. Vote for "Adolescence, AI, and the Future of Human Connection" today via SXSW's #PanelPicker!

YouTube video by TEDx Talks The surprising science of adolescent brains | Jennifer Pfeifer | TEDxPortland

Excited to share that my TEDx talk is finally available online. I loved sharing what the science shows us: that it's time to reframe adolescence - from problem to ✨ potential ✨ 1/

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr8V...

YouTube video by TEDx Talks The surprising science of adolescent brains | Jennifer Pfeifer | TEDxPortland

Our National Scientific Council on #Adolescence co-director @jenndsn.bsky.social spoke at TEDxPortland about the incredible adolescent brain!
“Adolescence isn’t a problem to be solved; it’s a transformative period of growth and opportunity," said Pfeifer.
Watch now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr8V...

Vote for our SXSW and SXSW EDU 2026 proposal, "Adolescence, AI, and the Future of Human Connection."

This year, we submitted a pitch to @sxsw.com and @sxswedu.com on “#Adolescence, #AI, & the Future of Human Connection.”
Vote for our proposal TODAY via SXSW’s #PanelPicker to help keep the well-being of our young people at the center of these conversations on AI: participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sx...

In a new article, our co-executive director Adriana Galván explains the neurological basis for why adolescents take risks and how risk-taking can be essential for learning and positive development during this period!
Read more below.

Vote for our SXSW Proposal: "Adolescence, AI, and the Future of Human Connection."

Vote for the UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent's @sxsw.com and @sxswedu.com session proposal: “#Adolescence, AI, and the Future of Human Connection.”
Help keep the well-being of our young people at the center of these conversations on AI and vote today♥️: participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sx...

STEPS for Youth Science Spotlight: Developing a Positive Racial and Ethnic Identity During Adolescence Can Support Healthy Mental and Physical Development and Academic Achievement

In a new STEPS (Science to Enhance Policy Success) Science Spotlight, we explore how developing a positive racial and ethnic identity during #adolescence can support higher academic achievement and positive mental and physical health.
Read more: developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/steps-for-yo...