Youth, Media & Wellbeing Lab
At Wellesley Centers for Women
Our Website
Our Website
The Wellesley Centers for Women is a premier women- and gender-focused, social-change oriented research-and-action institute at Wellesley College. Our mission i
Ongoing Studies
Elections and Social Issues Study
Elections and Social Issues Study
Social Issues and Election online survey
REGISTER HERE | BOBA Project
REGISTER HERE | BOBA Project
Research Papers
Promoting Well-being in Girls through Social Media and Digital Health
Promoting Well-being in Girls through Social Media and Digital Health
Sexual Minorities and Loneliness: Exploring Sexuality through Social Media and Gender–Sexuality Alliance (GSA) Supports
Sexual Minorities and Loneliness: Exploring Sexuality through Social Media and Gender–Sexuality Alliance (GSA) Supports
We examined online and offline social supports for sexual minority adolescents, underscoring the understudied developmental period of early adolescence and the mental outcome of loneliness.
Review of Current Trends in LGBTQ + Youth and Social Media: Implications for Mental Health, Identity Development, and Civic Engagement | Current Pediatrics Reports
Review of Current Trends in LGBTQ + Youth and Social Media: Implications for Mental Health, Identity Development, and Civic Engagement | Current Pediatrics Reports
Understanding Adolescent Self-esteem and Self-image Through Social Media Behaviors
Understanding Adolescent Self-esteem and Self-image Through Social Media Behaviors
Middle Schoolers and Screens: Reimagining the Positive Potential of Media for 12- to 14-year-olds
Middle Schoolers and Screens: Reimagining the Positive Potential of Media for 12- to 14-year-olds
Social Media Friends From Afterschool are Associated With Positive Youth Development in Digital Settings
Social Media Friends From Afterschool are Associated With Positive Youth Development in Digital Settings
Positive youth development has been extensively documented in contexts such as the family, school, and afterschool. Emerging theory and research indicate that digital contexts such as social media may also be venues through which young people develop skills and attributes associated with the 5 Cs mo …
Sexual Minorities and Loneliness: Exploring Sexuality through Social Media and Gender–Sexuality Alliance (GSA) Supports
Sexual Minorities and Loneliness: Exploring Sexuality through Social Media and Gender–Sexuality Alliance (GSA) Supports
Recent News Features
GLAAD gives social media giants poor grades over lack of protections for LGBTQ users
GLAAD gives social media giants poor grades over lack of protections for LGBTQ users
In a new report, GLAAD found that 84% of LGBTQ adults said not enough protections are on social media to prevent discrimination, harassment or disinformation.
GLAAD's 2025 Social Media Safety Index
GLAAD's 2025 Social Media Safety Index
The 2025 report provides an overview of the current state of LGBTQ social media safety, privacy, and expression, including sections on...
Empowerment, Community, and Empathy in the Social Media Era
Empowerment, Community, and Empathy in the Social Media Era
“Constructive Dialogue in the Age of Social Media” was the fourth event in the Dialogue and Action in an Age of Divides, and it convened scholars from Tufts and other universities to discuss how to have dialogue amidst contentious issues, given the often-divisive role of social media in this arena.
Is your kid addicted to their phone? Here’s how to set smart boundaries.
Is your kid addicted to their phone? Here’s how to set smart boundaries.
Stricter monitoring of tween and teen internet use may not always be better
Stricter monitoring of tween and teen internet use may not always be better
Sharply restricting kids’ use of digital media is linked with problematic internet use — but it is still unclear why.
KVCBS Radio Feature
KVCBS Radio Feature
LA Times Article | Science doesn't yet support broad restrictions on teens' access to social media, experts say
LA Times Article | Science doesn't yet support broad restrictions on teens' access to social media, experts say
Experts convened by the National Academies say they didn't find evidence to support broad restrictions on young people’s access to social media.
A Big Idea | Wellesley Magazine
A Big Idea | Wellesley Magazine
We asked faculty and researchers at the College how they’d solve a problem related to their field, if time and money weren’t constraints.
Spotlight on Wellesley: How Linda Charmaraman and the Youth, Media & Wellbeing Lab Are Influencing the Way We Think about Social Media
Spotlight on Wellesley: How Linda Charmaraman and the Youth, Media & Wellbeing Lab Are Influencing the Way We Think about Social Media
Linda Charmaraman has been studying the impact of social media on adolescents for nearly as long as it has been available to them. A senior research…
APA Health advisory on social media use in adolescence
APA Health advisory on social media use in adolescence
Other Articles, Events & Research
Youth Advisory Board Info | BOBA Project
Youth Advisory Board Info | BOBA Project
Morgan Stanley Webinar: Parenting in the Digital Age: Fostering Well-being and Resilience
Morgan Stanley Webinar: Parenting in the Digital Age: Fostering Well-being and Resilience
How social media affects teens’ mental health and well-being, with Linda Charmaraman, PhD
How social media affects teens’ mental health and well-being, with Linda Charmaraman, PhD
On Letting Go of Screen Time Shame With Dr. Linda Charmaraman - Spark & Stitch Institute
On Letting Go of Screen Time Shame With Dr. Linda Charmaraman - Spark & Stitch Institute
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