Adaptivity: The Science of Adolescence

Our ability to trust other people is foundational to our personal relationships and to society as a whole, and adolescence is a key time for learning how to balance the vulnerability and emotional risks it requires. In this episode, Ron talks with Eveline Crone, developmental neuroscientist at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, and Jennifer Rodgriquez, executive director of the Youth Law Center in San Francisco, about how we can help adolescents develop the capacity to trust in an era when it's getting harder to believe what we hear and see.

Youth Scientific Council on Adolescence members Jeevana Doddi, Kevin Ramirez, and Yonathan Kiflezghie talk with University of Washington professor Lucia Magis-Weinberg about what research says are the real benefits and challenges of social media, and how young people can manage that balance. This is the last of our three-episode 2026 youth-led miniseries of the Adaptivity podcast, hosted by Ron Dahl.

Youth Scientific Council on Adolescence members Brooke Smith, Danari Golden, Layah Belay Simmons, and Ananshaa Singh who talk with professor Hannah Schacter from Wayne State University in Detroit about how friendships and romantic relationships in adolescence can impact connections throughout our lives. This is the second of our three-episode 2026 youth-led miniseries of the Adaptivity podcast, hosted by Ron Dahl.

Youth Scientific Council on Adolescence members Alex Binaford, Maya Bachi, and Odalis Hernandez talk with University of Oregon professor Jennifer Pfeifer about supporting mental health in the midst of the many transitions during adolescence, to new schools, new experiences, and new friend groups. This is the first of our three-episode 2026 youth-led miniseries of the Adaptivity podcast, hosted by Ron Dahl.

In this panel discussion, recorded live at SXSW EDU 2026, Ron talks with researchers Nick Allen, Thao Ha, and Alison Lee, and with app creator and student Elle Liemandt, about the social and emotional experiences young people need—in real life and digital spaces—to become contributing, collaborative, and connected humans in a rapidly changing world.