Adolescent Depression in the Digital Age: Evidence from Cohort, Embedded-Burst, and Two-Generation Studies

Adolescent depression and reports of sadness among young people have increased over the past decade. Many fear we are facing an adolescent mental health crisis and that time spent in the digital world is partly to blame. This talk will share findings from our research that has followed young people over decades, days, and minutes to identify early, daily, and long-term predictors of mental health symptoms.  Data streaming from adolescents’ devices are integrated with longitudinal, geospatial, and genetic data to generate and test new questions about adolescents’ mental health today. The talk will outline key challenges and opportunities for addressing adolescent depression in the digital age and provide a roadmap for capturing adolescents’ mental health in context and in real time.