With Black Friday just days away, millions of Americans are preparing for the busiest shopping weekend of the year. But an ever-increasing number of shoppers won’t be battling crowds at the mall—they’ll be clicking through online stores from the comfort of home. In fact, online shopping now accounts for the majority of holiday purchases. [Read more…]
What Cell Phone Bans Mean for Students
November 18, 2025 By
In public schools across the country, states are implementing “bell-to-bell” cell phone bans—policies that restrict smartphone use among students throughout the entire school day. As of this fall, 30 states and territories prohibit phones, tablets, and smart watches during school hours. [Read more…]
What We Know About Self-Regulation and Technology Among Kids
September 22, 2025 By
Nearly half of teenagers report being online nearly constantly, according to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center. And “screen-time” is pervasive among younger children, surveys show.
There’s no question that today’s youth are growing up in a culture ruled by digital technology. This phenomenon affects almost every aspect of their lives, including educational opportunities, social interactions, and personal development. Self-regulation—the ability to control impulses, organize behavior, and problem-solve constructively—is an important aspect that affects how young people interact with digital technology. [Read more…]
Technology Use May Slow Cognitive Decline
June 9, 2025 By
The baby boomers are the first generation that has navigated adulthood using digital technology. The oldest baby boomers were around 25 when the first e-mail was sent; they were the first generation to have home computers and personal smartphones. [Read more…]
Humans and AI: Do They Work Better Together or Alone?
November 24, 2024 By
Artificial intelligence (AI) is ubiquitous in modern society. While it may seem like a brand-new technology to many, computer scientists have been building and testing AI models—albeit simple ones initially—since the 1950s. You likely have been using AI in your daily life for much longer than you realize—it’s used in chatbots on websites, robotic vacuums that learn floorplans, digital assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa, and much more. [Read more…]
Why Writing by Hand Is Better for Your Brain
April 24, 2024 By
Thousands of people now speak to their smart devices to make their grocery lists. Students are more likely to type out notes in class than write them down. And we often type or dictate calendar reminders into our smartphones instead of writing them on a wall calendar. In short, people across the globe and in a wide variety of settings primarily use digital devices to record the things they want to remember. [Read more…]
Should You Get Your Health Information From Social Media?
June 3, 2022 By Leave a Comment
Scrolling through a social media feed, you might expect to see photos of friends’ travels, political opinions, and images of the latest fashions. You’ll also find a tremendous variety of health information.
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for reliable health information is central to our lives; social media outlets have played an even larger role in spreading both information and disinformation. As a result, a new body of research is exploring the impact of social media on public health, and how we can best use online tools to improve our well-being. [Read more…]
The Pros and Cons of Social Media for Youth
October 18, 2021 By Leave a Comment
More than 90 percent of teenagers in the U.S. have a smartphone. Access to this type of technology and social networking changes the playing field for young people who are simultaneously developing a sense of identity and new social relationships. [Read more…]
Can Technology Promote Weight Loss?
July 31, 2021 By Leave a Comment
More than half of the world’s population is overweight or obese, a trend that is contributing to significant health problems in people across the globe. Obesity is a major risk factor for many chronic health problems including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
Encouraging people to lose weight is one solution, but the evidence shows that weight loss is difficult and rarely sustained. [Read more…]
The Complex Links Between Social Media and Mental Health
March 26, 2019 By 1 Comment
Over the past decade, social media platforms have completely transformed how billions of people interact with each other. Of the 7.7 billion people on the earth, approximately 3.3 billion have at least one social media account. The average person spends nearly two hours a day on social media apps or web sites. [Read more…]
What To Do About Cyberbullying
November 9, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Today’s teenagers are growing up with a completely different set of social parameters compared to any other generation before them thanks to advances in technology. [Read more…]
How to avoid depression induced by social media
January 28, 2017 By Leave a Comment
You check Facebook while in line at the grocery store.
You glance at Twitter while waiting at a stop light.
While working on your computer, social media alerts pop up in the corner of the screen.
Social media is a constant presence in the lives of billions of people across the globe. Facebook alone boasts of nearly 1.8 billion users. [Read more…]
