With the rapid adoption of technology across the globe, childhood is looking quite different from what we were used to. And with the world at our fingertips, kids are more plugged in than ever before.

But what implication is that going to have on future generations? How will they fare growing up in a world that is connected virtually, and will it be a great thing or a terrible one?

I sat down with senior research scientist Linda Charmaraman, Ph.D, to discuss the resilience of teens and tweens in a digital world at the Wellesley Centers for Women and as director of the Youth, Media & Wellbeing Research Lab. Chamaraman has dedicated her career to researching technology and adolescent health, digital citizenship, innovative research methods to include overlooked and hidden populations, and how social identities like gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and political affiliation, affect wellbeing.

She is currently conducting a three-year study funded by the National Institutes of Health to follow middle school students and their parents during a critical developmental period to determine the longer-term health and wellbeing effects of social technologies, including smartphones, social media, YouTube, and gaming. A key goal of this project is not only to prevent the =negative health effects of social media use, but also to harness its potential to increase connections with other people and communities through the exchange of social and emotional support and opportunities for civic engagement.  

Linda dives into what the research is telling us about the impact of digital media on teens and tweens, as well as what we may be seeing in the future from these digitally engrained generations. This interview shifted my own biases and perspectives on the future of the social space, and I hope you enjoy some takeaways of your own.

What impact do you think digital media will have on our future generations? Drop a comment below!

To connect with Linda, click here.

To connect with Hillary, click here. 

Read more about Digital HQ here.

For more episodes, go to SOCIALCOMPLEXPOD.COM

Produced by You Lucky Dog Productions.