Director’s Innovation Speaker Series: Youth-Centered Approaches to Media Research

Overview

During this lecture, Jenny Radesky, M.D., and Megan Moreno, M.D., M.S.Ed., M.P.H., will discuss youth-centered approaches to social media research and their impact on frameworks, methods, and products.

Dr. Radesky will present the DREAMER Model (Dynamic, Relational, Ecologic Approach to Media Effects Research; Barr, Kirkorian, Coyne & Radesky, 2024), a new conceptual framework for conducting research on early childhood media use. This model improves on older research, which focused only on child "screen time," by exploring the context of media use within parent-child relationships, how media affects both parents and children, the role of media design, and how factors like poverty and stress influence outcomes. She will share recent research that uses the DREAMER Model and discuss its relevance for clinical guidance using the 5Cs framework.

Dr. Moreno will describe the 5Cs framework for teen media use. She will then present on the Brain, Behavior, and Well-Being project, which focuses on the intersection of adolescent development and digital media use. This project uses an interdisciplinary approach guided by a Youth Advisory Board and has informed new methods and approaches for social media research among adolescents. Dr. Moreno will also discuss how this project intersects with the 5Cs framework.

About Dr. Radesky

Dr. Jenny Radesky is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics with tenure at the University of Michigan Medical School and Division Director of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics. Dr. Radesky earned her B.A. in Natural Sciences from Johns Hopkins University and her M.D. from Harvard Medical School. Since 2022, she has held leadership roles in her division, including Service Chief and Division Director of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics. Dr. Radesky is board-certified in both Pediatrics and Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics and has been appointed as a Behavioral Expert with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission as of 2024.

Dr. Radesky's research focuses on the intersection of early childhood development and digital media use, particularly how parental mobile device usage impacts parent-child interactions and child behavioral outcomes. Through innovative methodologies and collaborations with interdisciplinary researchers, she continues to advance the study of media use in early childhood, striving to translate these findings into clinical practice and public policy.

About Dr. Moreno

Dr. Megan Moreno is a Professor of Pediatrics and Adjunct Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she also serves as Vice Chair of Academic Affairs and Interim Chair of the Department of Pediatrics. She earned her B.A. in Political Science from Northwestern University and her M.D. from George Washington University. Dr. Moreno completed her pediatrics residency and served as Chief Resident at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She later pursued an Adolescent Medicine and STD/HIV Research Fellowship at the University of Washington, earning a Master of Public Health. Additionally, Dr. Moreno holds a Master of Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Her research and leadership focus on the intersection of digital technology and adolescent health. Dr. Moreno is researching efforts to improve digital environments for young people, the impact of technology and digital media (TDM) on adolescent brain development and behavior, adolescent health information-seeking behaviors, and technology’s role in mental wellness.

About the Director’s Innovation Speaker Series

NIMH established the Director’s Innovation Speaker Series to encourage broad, interdisciplinary thinking in developing scientific initiatives and programs and to press for theoretical leaps in science over the continuation of incremental thought. Innovation speakers are encouraged to describe their work from the perspective of breaking through existing boundaries and developing successful new ideas, as well as working outside their primary area of expertise in ways that have pushed their fields forward. We encourage discussions of the meaning of innovation, creativity, breakthroughs, and paradigm-shifting.

Sponsored by

Division of Extramural Activities

Registration

This event is free, but you must register to attend .

Contact

InnovationSpeakers@mail.nih.gov

More information

Closed captioning and a sign language interpreter will be provided for this event.