• Our Research

    Our Research

    We study issues related to youth, the media they use, and how media impacts wellbeing.

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  • Who We Are

    Who We Are

    Meet the seasoned research scientists and the undergraduate interns who keep this work going

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  • News

    News

    Discover the latest research findings, publications, and other happenings from the Lab.

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Youth, Media & Wellbeing Research Lab

Wellesley Centers for Women

Our name sums it up. We study a breadth of issues related to youth, the media in which they are immersed, and implications for wellbeing.

We strive to understand how adolescents identify and express themselves as well as the ways that practitioners and families can promote young people’s sense of self and agency. We are particularly interested in girls and underrepresented young people whose lives may not be extensively researched or understood.

This research has been made possible with the support of the National Institutes for Health, Children and Screens: Institute Digital Media & Child Development, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Wellesley Centers for Women, among others.



Identity

 

Examining the complex factors that determine a young person’s identity, including their race, gender, sexuality, political and socio-economic status.

Mainstream Media

 

Examining the effects of the media messages that youth receive across their screens, magazine pages, and the airwaves.

Social Media

 

Understanding engagement with social media, the struggles and opportunities that families and schools encounter, implications for health and wellbeing, and adolescent’s own autonomy.

Adolescent Development in an Age of Social Media

Research Scientist Submits Testimony to Congress on Youth, Social Media, and Mental Health

Justice Scales

March 2, 2023

Senior Research Scientist Linda Charmaraman, Ph.D., submitted this statement for the record in connection with the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee's February 14, 2023 hearing, "Protecting Our Children Online." In the statement, she notes some important policy directions and research findings that apply to youth, social media, and mental health, and urges the Committee to recognize that social media can have positive as well as negative effects on youth mental health.

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Wellesley Centers for Women
Wellesley College
106 Central Street
Wellesley, MA 02481-8203 USA


781.283.2486
youthmediawellbeing@wcwonline.org

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