The prevalence of social media use and reliance on digital technologies are commonly blamed for rising rates of anxiety, depression, and other mental health difficulties among youth—yet questions remain about the true impact of this engagement with digital technology, particularly on the well-being of young people.
Seeking answers is the focus of one Grand Challenges initiative at UVA. The University’s 2030 Plan identifies five priority focus areas for research that represent major societal challenges and opportunities, and investments in these have created new opportunities in the UVA research community to work together across disciplines to move the needle in addressing the world’s urgent challenges.
Enter the Thriving Youth in a Digital Environment (TYDE) initiative, co-directed by Nancy Deutsch, associate dean for faculty development at the School of Education and Human Development and the Linda K. Bunker Professor of Education, and Bethany Teachman, professor and director of clinical training in the Department of Psychology. TYDE is working to bring together researchers across Grounds to examine both the impact of youth interaction with digital technology on healthy youth development as well as its potential to support intervention and prevention solutions.
“We’re building the research infrastructure and making sure that we’re disseminating the knowledge to policymakers, to parents, to educators, to mental health clinicians, and to young people—and also including those stakeholders in the process,” Deutsch said.
