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Adolescents in the Digital Age: Effects on Health and Development

Media and Communication: Adolescents in the Digital Age

A special issue of Media and Communication dedicated to Adolescents in the Digital Age: Effects on Health and Development.

Abstract: This thematic issue brings together papers by researchers who are studying the ways that today’s adolescents interact with their peers, families, and the larger media environment in the digital age. The contributors highlight both the challenges and the opportunities that this new age presents for the healthy development of young people.

The special issue, edited by Annenberg Public Policy Center research director Dan Romer, includes contributions from Romer; APPC research fellows Robin Stevens, Lynne Edwards, and Sally Dunlop; and senior research scientist Amy Bleakley and postdoctoral fellow Morgan Ellithorpe of the Annenberg School for Communication.

The contents include:

Introduction to the Issue “Adolescents in the Digital Age: Effects on Health and Development,” by Daniel Romer

Possible Effects of Internet Use on Cognitive Development in Adolescence, by Kathryn L. Mills

Teens, Health and Technology: A National Survey, by Ellen Wartella, Vicky Rideout, Heather Montague, Leanne Beaudoin-Ryan and Alexis Lauricella

The Role of Parents in Problematic Internet Use among US Adolescents, by Amy Bleakley, Morgan Ellithorpe and Daniel Romer

Marketing to Youth in the Digital Age: The Promotion of Unhealthy Products and Health Promoting Behaviours on Social Media, by Sally Dunlop , Becky Freeman and Sandra C. Jones

Social Media and Alcohol: Summary of Research, Intervention Ideas and Future Study Directions, by Megan A. Moreno , Jon D’Angelo and Jennifer Whitehill

Social Media in the Sexual Lives of African American and Latino Youth: Challenges and Opportunities in the Digital Neighborhood, by Robin Stevens, Jamie Dunaev, Ellen Malven, Amy Bleakley and Shawnika Hull

Cyberbullying, Race/Ethnicity and Mental Health Outcomes: A Review of the Literature, by Lynne Edwards , April Edwards Kontostathis and Christina Fisher

Adolescent Cellphone Use While Driving: An Overview of the Literature and Promising Future Directions for Prevention, by Kit Delgado, Kathryn J. Wanner and Catherine McDonald

Afterword to the Issue “Adolescents in the Digital Age: Effects on Health and Development,” by Daniel Romer and Michael Rich

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