From screentime to social media, today’s children are growing up with digital technology in a way no generation has done before. At the same time, youth have been experiencing a devastating rise in rates of anxiety, depression, and other mental and behavioral health difficulties. The Surgeon General has described mental health as “the defining public health crisis of our time.” Media and pundits are quick to link teens’ technology use and their rising mental health struggles.
But there is little rigorous research that truly identifies where and when digital technology is harmful, where and when it can be used to support well-being, and where and when it is just another context of development. There is even less understanding of how technology could be harnessed to support and help youth. The goal of Thriving Youth in a Digital Environment (TYDE) is to shift the narrative Fear to Facts to Fixes. It supports research that can illuminate how youth (aged 11-25) use digital technologies, studies their impact on mental and behavioral health, and fosters the development of evidence-based interventions to support youth healthy development.
Transforming the Field with UVA’s Grand Challenge Research Investment
Thriving Youth in a Digital Environment (TYDE) is a pan-university research initiative supported by UVA’s Grand Challenge Research Investments. The Grand Challenges catalyze and expand UVA’s research strengths and expertise to address major societal challenges and opportunities, including the relationship between society and technology.
TYDE fosters a collaborative, interdisciplinary community dedicated to research, training, and partnerships. It supports researchers across the university at all levels to increase their capacity for innovative research on digital technologies and youth mental health by:
- Offering seed grants to UVA faculty and students for innovative pilot projects
- Providing training in digital technology research methods
- Funding cohorts of interdisciplinary postdoctoral scholars to work on projects related to youth and digital technology and to be mentored by TYDE affiliated faculty
- Hosting conferences and events for a variety of stakeholder audiences focused on the theme of digital technology and healthy youth development
- Connecting with community and industry partners to identify key issues in the field and collaborate on research and solutions
- Learning from a youth advisory board
- Supporting the development of proposals from UVA researchers for external funding
Meet the Team
TYDE is co-directed by Bethany Teachman (Psychology) and Nancy Deutsch (Education). The steering committee includes Ben Castleman (Public Policy), Michael Lyons (Education), Ashleigh Wade (Media Studies), Adrienne Wood (Psychology). TYDE is supported by senior program manager Claire Antone Payton and lead administrator Abby Waldrop.
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Join Our Mailing List
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Become a TYDE Postdoctoral Fellow
TYDE is welcoming applicants for postdoctoral research associates who would support a project related to digital technology and youth (ages 11-25) mental health. Projects aligned with this initiative will advance understanding of the role of digital technologies in healthy development, and the ways that generation and dissemination of digital mental health programs can help address the youth mental health crisis. Postdoctoral associates will work with one of three research teams focused on either: 1) interventions aimed at increasing White students’ ability and willingness to challenge anti-Black online racism with the goal of improving campus racial climate at predominantly White institutions (PWIs); 2) increasing engagement among teens and emerging adults with mobile apps that are designed to reduce anxiety; 3) the intersection of Generative AI and the quality of online mental health information and social support for young adults.
Apply for a Graduate and Early Career Scholar Training Grant
TYDE is offering awards of up to $500 to support UVA graduate students, postdocs, and early career faculty who need financial support to pursue relevant training opportunities within or beyond UVA. Awards can be applied to cover costs associated with workshops, courses, conferences. Funds can also be used to cover travel expenses necessary to access training.
The award applies to training in a broad range of content areas connected to TYDE themes. Examples might include qualitative interviewing workshops, a training institute on machine learning, or a class on ecological momentary assessment study design. Applicants will be asked to describe how the training could be used in the future to support research related to digital technologies and youth mental health.
Researchers can apply through this brief application. Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Attend a Research Methods Training
TYDE is committed to developing scholars' capacity for research innovation through a coordinated, interdisciplinary training program focused on sharing knowledge and skills that supports research on digital technology and healthy youth development. Join our mailing list to learn about upcoming opportunities. The first training, co-sponsored with the Center for Open Science, will be offered on July 19, 2024. See below for more details.
Upcoming Events
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Innovative Methods to Accelerate Research on the Connection Between Social Media and Youth Mental Health Using Meta and Other Data
July 19, 2024: 12:00 - 1:30 PM
TYDE is partnering with the Center for Open Science to offer a virtual seminar highlighting innovative new methodological advances in research using data from Meta and other forms of social media.
Register Here.
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Speak Your Truth: Social Media Summer Workshop
TYDE is partnering with Light House Studios in Charlottesville, Virginia, to offer a week-long summer filmmaking workshop for teens in July 2024. Participants will learn to use visual storytelling tools to make short documentaries about young peoples' perspectives on social media policies and regulations.
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On October 8-9, 2024, TYDE will co-host the annual conference of Youth-Nex. This year, it will focus on positive youth development, mental health and digital technology. It will bring together researchers, youth-serving professionals, practitioners, policy makers, and young people to talk about how youth use digital spaces, youth mental health and technology, and policy considerations.