UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent

UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent

@cda-adolescence.bsky.social

Working to improve adolescent health, education, and well-being through developmental science.

179 Followers 142 Following 111 Posts Joined Mar 2025
2 days ago
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Adaptivity: The Science of Adolescence Podcast: Adolescence, AI, & Authentic Human Connection SXSW EDU 2026 Schedule | What does it take to become good humans in a rapidly changing world? This panel brings together experts in adolescent development, relationships, and education to explore the ...

Are you at #SXSWEDU? Join us at 2:00 pm at the Austin Marriott Downtown - Waterloo Ballroom 3 for a live #Adaptivity podcast episode titled #Adolescence, AI, and Authentic Human Connection.
This session counts for CPE credit.
Learn more: schedule.sxswedu.com/events/PP116...

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1 week ago
Announcing Our 2025 Annual Report | Center for the Developing Adolescent

ICYMI: Want to learn more about CDA's work & impact in 2025? Check out our Annual Report!

Highlights include:
🔷 40+ state & federal legislators briefed
🔷 1.3M+ views on CDA & CDA-supported videos
🔷 5,400+ Adaptivity podcast downloads

Read more: developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/topics/item/...

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1 week ago
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SXSW EDU 2026 Schedule Browse events, build your schedule, and get personalized recommendations for the 2026 SXSW EDU Conference & Festivals from March 9–12, 2026 in Austin, Texas.

Join us at @sxswedu.com in one week, Monday, March 9, at 2:00 pm CT, for a live #Adaptivity: The Science of #Adolescence podcast episode titled, 'Adolescence, #AI, and Authentic Human Connection.

Learn more: schedule.sxswedu.com/events/PP116...

#SXSW2026 #SXSWEDU

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1 week ago
A teen girl with her mentor filling out paperwork

Some of the most impactful relationships we have during adolescence are with the caring adults around us.
But what makes these relationships effective at supporting young people?
Read more in a blog post discussing the importance of caring adults: developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/blog/item/lo...

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2 weeks ago
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Q&A with Karen Pittman, 2026 recipient of the NEA Foundation’s Outstanding Service to Public Education Award | Youth Today Youth Today's Karen Pittman, often referred to as the godmother of positive youth development, received the award on February 13.

Congrats to CDA Advisory Board Member Karen Pittman on receiving @theneafoundation.bsky.social's Outstanding Service to Public Education Award! Previous recipients include Kent McGuire, Linda Darling-Hammond, Sesame Street, Mister Rogers & President Clinton.
Read more: youthtoday.org/2026/02/qa-k...

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3 months ago
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The NEA Foundation is honored to announce Karen J. Pittman as the 2026 recipient of our Award for Outstanding Service to Public Education. Often called the "godmother" of positive youth development, Pittman has transformed how we support all young people to thrive. #PublicEducation #Education

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2 weeks ago

In this post-pandemic era, it is more important than ever to apply research-based knowledge about brain and social development to support our young people.
Learn more about supporting this emerging generation with our recent Science Spotlight: developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/steps-for-yo...

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2 weeks ago
Research Insights to Support Adolescents Post-Pandemic | Center for the Developing Adolescent

In this post-pandemic era, it is more important than ever to apply research-based knowledge about brain and social development to support our young people.
Learn more about supporting this emerging generation with our recent Science Spotlight: developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/steps-for-yo...

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2 weeks ago
YouTube
Love in Adolescence 5: The Need for Love and Support from Caring Adults YouTube video by UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent

Interested in how adults can support positive development during adolescence?
Check out our video of last week's Love in #Adolescence webinar discussing why love & support from caring adults is important and the characteristics of successful relationships: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TUf...

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3 weeks ago

Congratulations to Ron Dahl, CDA's founding director, on receiving the 2026 Huttenlocher Award! ✨

The Huttenlocher Award reflects transformative contributions to the field of developmental cognitive neuroscience that inspire future generations of researchers through unique insights.

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3 weeks ago
The Science of Connection Breaking new ground in understanding human bonds is the mission of a diverse cadre of UCLA researchers.

The CDA was featured in a new @uclacollege.bsky.social Magazine article highlighting researchers and centers at the university studying human connection.

“Adolescents seek out bonding with other people,” said Adriana Galván, our co-executive director.

Read more: newsroom.ucla.edu/magazine/res...

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1 month ago
Love in Adolescence webinar: TOMORROW, Thursday, February 12, at 10:00 am PT

Join us TOMORROW, Thursday, February 12, at 10:00 am PT for our Love in #Adolescence webinar focusing on the importance of love and support from caring adults for adolescent development & future well-being!
Register now: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

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1 month ago
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Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Love in Adolescence: The Need for Love and Support from Caring Adults. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. Adolescence is a critical period of development when we learn more about the social world around us and the complexities of relationships and love. Between 10 and 25, we form new types of relationship...

Join us in ONE WEEK, on Thursday, February 12, at 10:00 am PT for our annual Love in #Adolescence webinar!
Hear from experts, researchers, and young people about how loving & supportive relationships with caring adults can support positive development:
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

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1 month ago
UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescents 2025 Annual Report

Announcing our 2025 Annual Report! ✨
This report highlights CDA’s projects, growth, and impact in 2025 as we worked to integrate developmental science into research, policies, programs, and public discourse to better support adolescents.
Read more: developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/topics/item/...

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1 month ago
Love in Adolescence Webinar on Thursday, February 12, at 10:00 am PT. Speakers include Adriana Galván, PhD, Co-Executive Director of the UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent (CDA) and Director of the Developmental Neuroscience Laboratory at UCLA; Kara Hirano, PhD, Senior Research Scientist at Search Institute; Andrew Fuligni, PhD, Professor of Psychology at UCLAand Co-Executive Director of CDA; and Odalis Hernandez, Youth Scientific Council on Adolescence Member and high school senior.

Join us in TWO WEEKS, on Thursday, February 12, at 10:00 am PT for our annual Love in #Adolescence webinar! 💙
This year's webinar will explore the importance of love and support from caring adults during adolescence.
Register now: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

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1 month ago
Five Policy Insights to Support Adolescents Post-Pandemic

Today's adolescents were children when the pandemic began and experienced disruptions to their social & academic lives.
Our new spotlight offers insights from adolescent development that policymakers should keep in mind when supporting this group: developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/steps-for-yo...

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1 month ago
Winter 2026 Research Roundup, image with young teen boys sledding in the snow with text: "In this roundup:  How Speed and Timing of Puberty Affects Brain Development and Maturation How Feeling Economic Hardship Impacts Adjustment Outcomes of Youth Effects of Natural Mentoring Relationships on Late Adolescents' Loneliness."

Happy 2026! 🎉 Want to start the year by getting up to date with new research on adolescent development?
Check out our Winter Research Roundup, where we provide an overview of studies we feel are relevant to our community.
Read more: developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/topics/item/...

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2 months ago
Research Insights to Support Adolescents Post-Pandemic

​In 2020, COVID disrupted nearly every aspect of young people's lives.
In a new science spotlight, we offer information about how the pandemic impacted youth and provide research-based insights to support this new cohort of adolescents.
Read more: developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/steps-for-yo...

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2 months ago
Happy Holidays from the UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent!

Happy Holidays from the UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent!

We wish you a peaceful and joyful holiday season, and look forward to sharing more developmental science insights to support adolescents in the New Year.

Thank you for being here and supporting our work. ✨

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2 months ago
Sign up for our monthly newsletter!

Want to start off the New Year knowing more about adolescent development and how it can be used in programs and policies to support young people? 🧠 💡

Sign up for our newsletter for monthly updates and/or quarterly research roundups: ucla.us20.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=...

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2 months ago
Highlights from 2025: Supporting Adolescents by Strengthening Our Commitments and Focusing on Impact

Over the past year, the CDA has been busy advancing our goal to support adolescents by amplifying developmental science. We refreshed our mission, strengthened our community, launched new initiatives & more!
Find 2025 highlights in a new blog post: developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu/blog/item/hi...

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2 months ago

Last week, our Co-Executive Director Adriana Galván travelled to Capitol Hill to talk about how we can best support healthy adolescent brain & social development. 🧠
Thanks for the shoutout, @carbajal.house.gov!

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3 months ago

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...

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3 months ago

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 ⬇️

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3 months ago
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...

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3 months ago
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/...

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3 months ago

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 ⬇️

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4 months ago
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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...

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4 months ago
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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...

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4 months ago
2025 Teens and Screens Report — Center for Scholars & Storytellers @ UCLA

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...

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