Teen Science Cafe | Digital Media and the Teenage Brain

UNC researchers, Kara Fox and Maria Maza, will share studies that show how digital media is impacting teens’ development as well as how teens are impacting the development of digital media.

For more information about UNC’s Winston National Center on Technology Use, Brain, and Psychological Development work, visit https://www.teensandtech.org/

About our speakers:

Kara A. Fox is a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology PhD program at UNC Chapel Hill, working with Dr. Mitch Prinstein. She graduated from Duke University with a B.A. in psychology and visual media studies. Subsequently, as a research assistant at Alpert Medical School of Brown University, she worked on several studies examining mental health and treatment access among youth in the juvenile justice system. She is interested in the role of digital social norms and processes in development and health among adolescents and young adults. In addition to research, Kara loves teaching, working with children and families, and writing. In her free time, Kara enjoys knitting and crocheting, reading, and playing with her dog Laika.

Maria T Maza is a graduate student in the Developmental Psychology program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She received her B.S. in Neuroscience and Education from Bates College in 2018. Following graduation, she worked as a research assistant and imaging coordinator with Dr. BJ Casey at Yale University. Her research aims to explore the impact of biosocial factors and technology on the developing brain and subsequent health risk behaviors. In her free time, Maria enjoys dancing, hiking, and baking.