Plugged into Adolescence: Brains, Bytes, and Behavior in Teens

The teenage years can feel like a chaotic flurry of change--physically, cognitively, and socially-- to say the least. And yet, they also mark a particularly exciting time for identities to form and evolve. Both on and offline, young people not only start to find themselves and their voice, but also learn how to be active, expressive community members. What is happening in the brain during this process? And how are young people navigating an adolescence that now unfolds both in real life and on the internet? In this event, three experts from different yet related fields come together to explore what we can learn from teens to better support them through the “good, bad, and the ugly” of this important life stage.

BJ Casey, PhD, Director of the Fundamentals of the Adolescent Brain (FAB) Lab and Christina L. Williams Professor of Neuroscience in the Department of Neuroscience and Behavior at Barnard College - Columbia University, will open our event by sharing insights from her career studying the adolescent brain. As young people approach adulthood and become increasingly independent, their brains go through impressive changes that make them specially attuned to meet the challenges of a dynamic social world, both on and offline. What happens in the brain as teens learn to navigate the new social relationships, decisions, uncertainty, and rewards that lead up to adulthood?

Ioana Literat, PhD, Associate Professor in the Communication, Media & Learning Technologies Design program at Teachers College, Columbia University, and Co-Director of the Media & Social Change Lab (MASCLab), will then present her work investigating how young people behave in online spaces, including on social media platforms. How do these spaces serve as a digital “sandbox” in which adolescents learn how to become citizens and community members? By observing youth civic participation and political expression online, her work shines a light on the remarkable agency young people hold and the importance of supporting their voice.

Following the two talks, Paul Alexander Bloom, PhD, Postdoctoral Research Scientist in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University, will moderate a discussion and Q&A with the speakers. Audience questions are welcomed, either submitted during registration or live during the event.