Adaptivity: The Science of Adolescence

Epizode

• Our Youth's Perspective 2026: The Importance of Friendships & Romantic Relationships 18.06.2026 30min

  Youth Scientific Council on Adolescence members Brooke Smith, Danari Golden, Layah Belay Simmons, and Ananshaa Singh who talk with professor Hannah Schacter from Wayne State University in Detroit about how friendships and romantic relationships in adolescence can impact connections throughout our lives. This is the second of our three-episode 2026 youth-led miniseries of the Adaptivity podcast, hosted by Ron Dahl.  
• Our Youth's Perspective 2026: Supporting Mental Health During Transitions 12.06.2026 29min

  Youth Scientific Council on Adolescence members Alex Binaford, Maya Bachi, and Odalis Hernandez talk with University of Oregon professor Jennifer Pfeifer about supporting mental health in the midst of the many transitions during adolescence, to new schools, new experiences, and new friend groups. This is the first of our three-episode 2026 youth-led miniseries of the Adaptivity podcast, hosted by Ron Dahl.  
• Adolescence, AI, and the Future of Authentic Human Connection 14.05.2026 1h

  In this panel discussion, recorded live at SXSW EDU 2026, Ron talks with researchers Nick Allen, Thao Ha, and Alison Lee, and with app creator and student Elle Liemandt, about the social and emotional experiences young people need—in real life and digital spaces—to become contributing, collaborative, and connected humans in a rapidly changing world.
• Sparking Engagement 02.09.2025 1h 3min

  Ron talks with Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop, authors of The Disengaged Teen: Helping Kids Learn Better, Feel Better, and Live Better, about how we can harness adolescents' natural motivations for agency and connection to spark authentic engagement in education. And how we can ensure that new technologies support healthy engagement, learning, and social development instead of hijacking youth engagement for profit.
• Our Youth's Perspective 2025: AI and Public Policy 04.06.2025 29min

  Youth Scientific Council on Adolescence members Benjamin Olaniyi, Brynn Santos, Madison Cheungsomboune, and Stephany Cartney talk with University of Oregon professor of clinical psychology Nick Allen about how AI is likely to shape education for young people, and why it can be something we embrace… instead of fear. This is the last of three episodes of "Our Youth's Perspective 2025"—an annual youth-led miniseries of the Adaptivity podcast, hosted by Ron Dahl.  
• Our Youth's Perspective 2025: Nature v. Nurture 04.06.2025 25min

  Youth Scientific Council on Adolescence members Abril Rodriguez Martell, Emily Zhu, and Sebastian Gaytan D'Amico talk with UCLA Professor Leanna Hernandez to get answers to their questions about "nature v. nurture," or how genetics and environment interact to affect our development. This is the second of three episodes of "Our Youth's Perspective 2025"—an annual youth-led miniseries of the Adaptivity podcast, hosted by Ron Dahl.  
• Our Youth's Perspective 2025: The Mind-Body Loop 04.06.2025 29min

  Youth Scientific Council on Adolescence members Liam Garcia, Merlot Ghadoushi, and Jaleon Nocentelli talk with UCLA Psychology Professor Ted Robles about the "mind-body connection," and what the research says about how our developmental needs for caring relationships, contributing to others, belonging, and learning to navigate strong emotions can help us thrive emotionally as well as physically. This is the first of three episodes of "Our Youth's Perspective 2025"—an annual youth-led miniseries of the Adaptivity podcast, hosted by Ron Dahl.
• Social Media and Adolescents, part 2: Helping Youth Thrive in a Technocentric World 17.01.2025 58min

  Ron talks with researchers Nick Allen and Jacqueline Nesi about how developmental science could help us design social media and other technology to not only decrease risks, but also amplify new opportunities created by the digital world. Guests: Max, a 17-year-old student from the San Francisco Bay Area Nick Allen, PhD, professor of clinical psychology at the University of Oregon and the director of the Center for Digital Mental Health Jacqueline Nesi, assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University and author of the popular weekly newsletter TechnoSapiens Topics: What Max learned from his break from social media Three fundamental principles for evaluating social media How digital tech could be designed and used to promote health and wellbeing The main "yellow flags" of digital tech use by adolescents How tech could amplify benefits for young people who are struggling or facing other disadvantages
• Social Media and Adolescents, Part 1: "We Have the Whole World in Our Back Pockets" 14.01.2025 35min

  Former Youth Scientific Council members Dallas Tanner and Becker Chabaan talk with Ron about how they navigate the benefits and risks of social media—and offer their suggestions for improving the online world for younger adolescents.  Guests: Becker Chabaan, a freshman at UC Santa Barbara, and Dallas Tanner, a freshman at UCLA, both former members of the Youth Scientific Council on Adolescence Topics: Benefits of social media for adolescents Disadvantages of social media, especially for younger adolescents Perspectives on government bans and other regulations How to improve social media for all young people Dallas and Becker's experiences with breaks from social media
• Our Youth's Perspective 2024: Parenting Styles 06.06.2024 28min

  Youth Scientific Council on Adolescence members Dallas Tanner, Talya Soffer, and Kobe Wood talk with Professor Leslie Leve about parenting styles, and how we're affected by our relationships with our caregivers during adolescence. This is the second of our three annual "Our Youth's Perspective" episodes—an annual youth-led series of Adaptivity, hosted by Ron Dahl.
• Our Youth's Perspective 2024: Cultural Upbringing 06.06.2024 22min

  In the first of three youth-led episodes of "Our Youth's Perspective," a special miniseries of Adaptivity, Youth Scientific Council on Adolescence members Becker Chaaban, Brandon Molina, and Namrata Poola, who talk with UCLA CDA Co-Executive Director Andrew Fuligni about how our cultural upbringing impacts development during our adolescent years.
• Our Youth's Perspective 2024: Sibling Relationships 06.06.2024 18min

  The third and final episode of our 2024 "Our Youth's Perspective" miniseries of Adaptivity is about our relationships with our siblings. Youth Scientific Council on Adolescence members Andrea Rodriguez, Faith Veenker, and Kaelyn Morales talk with Professor Kimberly Updegraff about the important role our sisters and brothers play in our development during adolescence.
• How Facing Big Feelings Can Help Build Mental Health 17.08.2023 52min

  In this episode, Ron talks with psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Lisa Damour about how strong emotions during adolescence–good and bad–can be opportunities for youth to build positive coping strategies that can help them thrive as adults.  
• Social Adaptivity: Developing Positive Relationship Skills in a Rapidly Changing World 29.05.2023 43min

  Host Ron Dahl talks with guests Thao Ha, Gustavo Carlo, and Yalda Uhls about how emotionally charged relationships during adolescence can help us learn to navigate personal relationships, find our role in our communities, and handle intense emotions throughout our lives.
• Our Youth's Perspective, part 3: Developing Values, Goals, and Identity 02.02.2023 17min

  In the third and last episode of "Our Youth's Perspective," a three-part miniseries of the Adaptivity podcast, YNSCA member Tomi Dugbo talks with Prof. Joanna Williams, Co-Director of the National Scientific Council on Adolescence, about developing our own values, goals, and identities separate from our parents and families.
• Our Youth's Perspectives part 2: Exploration and Risk Taking 27.01.2023 18min

  In the second episode of "Our Youth's Perspective," a three-part miniseries of the Adaptivity podcast, YNSCA member Michael Nguyen talks with Adaptivity host and CDA founding director Dr. Ron Dahl about the importance of trying new things and taking risks during our adolescent years.
• Our Youth's Perspectives part 1: Decision Making and Emotional Regulation 20.01.2023 19min

  In the first episode of "Our Youth's Perspective," a three-part miniseries of the Adaptivity podcast, YNSCA member Mahisa Mannan talks with UCLA CDA Co-Executive Director Adriana Galván about learning to make difficult decisions and regulate our emotions during our adolescent years.  
• Epic Journeys: What we can learn from adolescence across species 16.12.2022 52min

  Host Ron Dahl talks with best-selling author and evolutionary biologist Barbara Natterson Horowitz and anthropologist Rachna Reddy about adolescence across the animal kingdom–and how a cross-species perspective can help us better understand, and support, the human journey from childhood to adolescence.
• Rooted in Connection: Reimagining the Foster System for Adolescents 04.04.2022 45min

  The foster care system in the US is not designed to support what we now know about positive adolescent development. But it could be. Host Ron Dahl talks with experts Sixto Cancel and Leslie Leve about how we could reimagine the system to align with what science tells us youth need to thrive.
• This is Me: Race and Identity in Adolescence 03.10.2021 49min

  We talk with Harvard physics major Jara Wilensky, high school math star Noor Harwell, and Dr. Joanna Lee Williams about being Black women in science and how we form our identities in our adolescent years.