IST 605: Adolescent Development

Hanging out with friends is fun and teaches you about cooperation, boundaries, shared interests, risk-taking, cultural diversity, and so much more. We tend to gravitate toward people who we have more in common with. If you play an instrument, chances are your close friends do too. Sometimes we make friends with others in our neighborhood just because they live nearby and it's convenient. What are some of the reasons you chose your current friends? How would you describe the relationships? Are they healthy or do you tend to get in trouble when you hang out with certain friends more so than others?

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The Center for the Developing Adolescent was founded in 2015 at UC Berkeley by Dr. Ron Dahl and a leadership team of researchers studying adolescent development. Its mission is "to improve adolescent health, education, and well-being through developmental science. We do this by communicating the opportunities of the adolescent years and sharing the science in ways that positively impact policies and practices that serve young people."

The Center's 5 Facts About Exploration and Risk Taking in Adolescence explores the reasons why you are willing to take risks and how to find healthy ways to do so with your friends.

You often hear about all the negative aspects of social media for teenagers. The American Psychological Association (APA) reports new research that explores the pros and cons of social media for youth and poses recommendations on how to use it to your advantage. 

Read Social media brings benefits and risks to teens. Psychology can help identify a path forward and find out how you can use social media to support your social and mental health and minimize the harm it could cause. 

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