Thank you to our AMAZING 2026 Adolescent Brain Development Summit attendees, moderators, and panelists!🧠💡 We heard some incredible sessions on topics ranging from navigating an uncertain future of work to decision-making in financial support and benefits access. Stay tuned for videos and blog posts!

Next up: a panel on navigating uncertainty in the future of work for young people @cda-adolescence.bsky.social including @candiceodgers.bsky.social, Mimi Haley + Jaime Jimenez from NYEC, Vicki Phillips from NCEE. Core message here is let young people lead. 1/

Incredible opening keynote for @cda-adolescence.bsky.social summit on supporting youth and economic opportunities in the transition to adulthood! Lisa Lawson, CEO @annieecaseyfdn.bsky.social, spoke about their initiatives to help all young people thrive. 1/ www.aecf.org/series/thriv...

The 2026 Adolescent Brain Development Summit has begun! Thank you to all the attendees and panelists for being here to discuss 'Applying Developmental Science to Support Economic Opportunity.' #2026Summit

We are excited to convene researchers, policymakers, practitioners, youth-serving orgs, funders & young people on Thursday for our 2026 Adolescent Brain Development Summit titled Applying Developmental Science to Support Economic Opportunity!✨ Stay tuned for social from the event! 💙 #2026Summit

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...

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/...

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

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...

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...

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

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...

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...

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.

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...

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...

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...

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/...

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...

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...

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/...

​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...

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. ✨

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=...

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...

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!

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 ⬇️

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...

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 ⬇️

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...

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...

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/...

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...

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...

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/

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 ⬇️

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...

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!

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...