During adolescence, we are rapidly learning and adapting in ways that naturally take advantage of supportive relationships, environments, and experiences that promote positive growth and development.

Although recent revelations show how damaging social media can be, it also allows adolescents to do important developmental tasks like exploring their identities and making independent decisions in a new way.

Our research has identified the need for a new narrative around early adolescence, one that recognizes it for the remarkable period of discovery it is.

Both news and popular media are used to portraying foster youth as permanently damaged, either by the circumstances that led them to foster care and/or by the broken system that failed them.

Diversity and inclusion in film and television contributes to young people of color’s identity formation in positive ways when they avoid stereotyping.

While a search for identity through advocacy tends to be the primary theme in works that explore adolescent engagement, a search for community can be an equally compelling source.

Even before the pandemic, mental health challenges were the leading cause of poor life outcomes for youth.