Linda Charmaraman, Ph.D., is a senior research scientist at the Wellesley Centers for Women and director of the Youth, Media & Wellbeing Research Lab. Her research interests include 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 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 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 perspectives on the future of the social space, and I hope you enjoy some takeaways of your own. Let’s get into it. 

To connect with Linda, click here.

To connect with Hillary, click here. 

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Produced by You Lucky Dog Productions.