Candice L. Odgers
Professor of Psychological Science at the University of California Irvine, USAAbout the author:
My research focuses on how early experiences and social inequalities influence child and adolescent development, with an emphasis on how new technologies, including mobile phones and web-based tools, can be leveraged to understand and improve the lives of young people.
What I want to achieve:
Too many young people suffer with mental health problems – this has long been the case and there are signs that for some disorders, like depression and anxiety, it may be getting worse. Now more than ever there is a need to focus on what we can do to support youth and reduce exposure to the factors we know put them at risk – poverty, discrimination, inequality and a lack of positive supports and investments. My hope is that the fear-based conversations about adolescents and their phones will be replaced about facts and ways of leveraging new tech to support youth in increasingly uncertain, unequal, and digital times.