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.
About the Experts:
BJ Casey, PhD, is the 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. She was one of the first to use functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the developing human brain, accelerating the emergence of the field of developmental cognitive neuroscience. Her scientific discoveries have been published in over 250 articles in top tier journals including Science, Nature Medicine, Nature Neuroscience, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, cited over 74,500 times and highlighted by NPR, PBS, New York Times and National Geographic. Dr. Casey is the recipient of the Society for Neuroscience Salpeter Lifetime Achievement Award, the American Psychological Association Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award, the Association for Psychological Science Lifetime Achievement Mentor Award and is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Ioana Literat, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Communication, Media & Learning Technologies Design program at Teachers College, Columbia University, where she also co-directs the Media & Social Change Lab (MASCLab). Her research examines youth online participation, with a particular focus on the intersection of civic and creative practices in online contexts. Her work has been published in the Journal of Communication, New Media & Society, Communication Theory, the International Journal of Communication, and Information, Communication & Society, among others, and her forthcoming book, Not Your Parents’ Politics: The Unexpected Forms of Young People’s Political Expression on Social Media (co-authored with Neta Kligler-Vilenchik) will be published by Oxford University Press in October 2024. Dr. Literat is a frequent contributor on topics related to youth and digital technologies in the press, including in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Newsweek, The Atlantic, CNN and Wired.
Paul Alexander Bloom, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Research Scientist in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University working with Dr. Randy Auerbach and Dr. David Pagliaccio. He received his PhD in psychology from Columbia University under the mentorship of Dr. Nim Tottenham. His work aims to understand risk and protective factors for depression and suicide in adolescents, with a focus on intensive longitudinal methods examining and predicting changes in affect or behavior over time. Currently, Dr. Bloom’s research uses digital tools, including ecological momentary assessment, passive smartphone sensing, and social media data logs, to identify areas for timely and adaptive intervention. An additional line of his research uses neuroimaging (MRI) to understand mechanisms of depression symptom change among adolescents. Broadly, his research seeks to identify methods and mechanisms for scalable prevention and treatment programs in service of adolescent mental health.
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