On May 31, 2023, Dr. Mitch Prinstein and Dr. Eva Telzer of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill presented a free webinar, “Technology, Social Media, and Adolescent Mental Health” offered by the Alan Hu Foundation. Prinstein and Telzer are Co-Directors of the Winston National Center on Technology Use, Brain and Psychological Development.
4:05 Overview
4:35 Importance of social interactions
7:14 The adolescent brain
10:00 Unique features of online peer experiences
15:11 What questions are we asking
16:02 Positive attributes
18:01 How teens use social media
19:04 Most susceptible?
20:14 Promoting maladaptive behavior
22:18 Peer influence
24:02 Is digital media use a stressor?
26:05 What are teens NOT doing?
28:00 Is social media addictive?
32:13 Social media and brain development
39:29 Recommendations from APA Health Advisory
48:00 Q&A
Dr. Prinstein and Dr. Telzer explain, “In this talk, we will deconstruct the psychological science on youths’ technology and social media use to understand the questions scientists are asking, what we have found, what it means for youth today, and what you can do to help. Though the results are sometimes frightening, there is some hope, especially if parents, educators, and policy-makers take action now.”
Mitch Prinstein, Ph.D., ABPP serves as the John Van Seters Distinguished Professor of Psychology at UNC Chapel Hill and is Chief Science Officer of the American Psychological Association. He is a board-certified clinical psychologist who has studied child and adolescent mental health for over 25 years and has published hundreds of scientific manuscripts, chapters and textbooks, trade books, and a workbook for adolescents. Dr. Prinstein is regularly featured as an expert in psychological science within hundreds of national and international outlets including the New York Times, National Public Radio, Time Magazine, CNN, and TEDx Talks.
Eva Telzer, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at UNC Chapel Hill and an Associate Editor at Child Development and Social Cognitive Affective Neuroscience. Her research examines how social and cultural processes shape adolescent brain development, with a focus on prosocial and risk-taking behaviors, family and peer relationships, and the role of social media in youths’ lives. She has authored numerous publications, received many awards for her work, and consulted government agencies and non-profit associations. Dr. Telzer has had media appearances in the New York Times, NPR, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC.
Mental Health Association for Chinese Communities (MHACC) https://www.mhacc-usa.org collaborated with Alan Hu Foundation to provide instant Chinese interpretation.
We were honored and privileged that Dr. Prinstein and Dr. Telzer shared the knowledge and experiences of social media and adolescent mental health. We were grateful to our audience for tuning in across United States as well as from Australia, Albania, Canada, China, Ethiopia, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan. Thank you, MHACC Founder and President Elaine Peng. Thank you, Ida Shaw, for simultaneous Chinese Interpretation.