Media platformization has caused problems that a state cannot easily regulate. The media content regulations considered in Chapter 4 are prime examples demonstrating the need to alter the power distribution in the Internet ecosystem. In terms of speech platforms, the “rules-based” platform governance model led by the EU, such as the DSA, now represents a strong power in balancing the US’ CDA-based social media self-regulation. The years to come will be critical to the global governance of digital platforms. Key indicators include whether more and more countries will adopt DSA-like regulations along the EU regulatory path. In terms of streaming services, the content quotas for video streaming platforms may constitute performance requirements for investment in services. This measure may also violate the obligations that apply to the nondiscriminatory treatment of digital products. Looking ahead, cultural diversity concerns regarding avatars in the VR space will be even more complex and will propel the “trade v. culture” clash to another level. No matter how carefully crafted, media content regulation must face enforceable reality. Trade rules that ban local presence would enable platform companies to supply services without establishing a local presence, which could significantly constrain a state’s ability to enforce platform regulations.

This concluding chapter situates developmental science in the service of children, and appraises the contributions of the brain development revolution. The question of why has brain development become the dominant lens through which we view children’s development today is answered in light of the discussions of the previous chapters. How the brain development revolution has changed public understanding of children and its practical implications are considered. Finally, the lessons of the revolution for science communication are considered in relation to the book’s three themes: science, the media, and public policy. Concerning science, the successes in the public communication of developmental brain science are contrasted with problems in messaging the science, especially the selectivity of the messaging. The chapter argues for a stronger leadership role for developmental scientists in the communication and application of the research. Concerning the media, the chapter considers the opportunities and difficulties for science communication posed by digital and social media in light of a new generation of scientists in using these tools. Concerning public policy, the chapter urges consideration of alternative policy proposals for implementing developmental science based on different value priorities and preferences to create broader coalitions of advocates for children and their families.

Sexually oriented digital media use is important in adolescents’ sexuality development. The literature points to affordances of media uses (e.g., accessibility), inviting adolescents to use media for sexuality construction and engagement in sexual behaviors. Different theories on sexually oriented digital media use (e.g., Uses and Gratifications and Self-effects) explain why adolescents use media and how it shapes adolescents’ sexuality. Research has documented motivations of sexually oriented digital media use (e.g., sexual exploration) and how they relate to sexual self-development outcomes (e.g., sexual certainty), attitudinal outcomes (e.g., gender stereotypical beliefs), relationship quality indicators (e.g., commitment), and sexual behavioral outcomes (e.g., risky sexual behavior). The literature suggests challenges and future directions of sexually oriented digital media use research. Future research should explore the beneficial implications of digital media uses for adolescents’ sexuality. More attention should cover processes explaining the link between adolescents’ digital media uses and sexuality-related outcomes, and their bidirectional nature.

Digital media are integrated into the lives of adolescents in almost every corner of the globe, yet the extent of integration, how media are used, and the effects of media in development are anything but universal. In this chapter, we summarize studies that illustrate how cultural context matters for understanding digital media and adolescent psychological development. In keeping with our transactional view of culture and human development, we explore how cultural values, structures of community, and notions of selfhood shape, and are shaped by, digital media use. To balance the disproportionate representation of survey research with samples in North America and Western Europe, we draw from anthropological and ethnographic research, including our own fieldwork in northern Thailand and a Maya community in Mexico. We conclude by proposing future directions in the study of culture and digital media.

Digital media are significant developmental contexts of families, peer groups, and schools, and it is important to investigate their impact on adolescent well-being and mental health. This introductory chapter overviews the terms and history of research on adolescent digital media use and psychological well-being and mental health and describes methodological and conceptual issues confronting researchers investigating this topic. We highlight two themes: (1) Changes in technology are inevitable; consequently, researchers need to be flexible in their methodological approaches to investigate the short- and long-term implications of youths’ social media use. (2) Researchers must clearly articulate how they conceptualize and operationalize digital media, its role, usage, and pathways of influence. The chapter presents ways researchers can adapt to the methodological challenges and clarify how they should innovate when conceptualizing and measuring adolescents’ digital media use. We encourage researchers to expand on our suggestions as they investigate social media in adolescents’ lives.

The relationship between social media use, suicide, and self-injurious behaviors has received public and academic attention. Social media are platforms that facilitate social connection and support around life challenges, including self-injurious thoughts and behaviors, and spaces where they may encounter content or interactions increasing risk. This chapter’s purposes are twofold: (1) to summarize research on the risks and benefits of social media use for SITB-related outcomes, including what is and is not known about primary mechanisms in these relationships; (2) to identify high-level implications, including opportunities and challenges for future research, intervention and prevention efforts. The first section overviews the prevalence and presentation of SITB in adolescence and the role of social media in SITB, while the second section summarizes findings on risks and benefits of social media use for SITB, and key mechanisms involved in these relationships. The final section covers implications for research, practice, and policy, through high-level opportunities.

Today’s adolescents are often considered to be digital natives given the near-ubiquity of their access and use of these technologies. In the context of the near-ubiquity of digital media, studies have endeavored to understand the relationship between digital media use and common mental health concerns of depression and anxiety. This chapter begins with an overview of depression and anxiety among adolescents. After providing that background, the chapter reviews the state of the science of the relationship between these two critical mental health issues and social media use. Both potential risks and benefits of social media use on mental health are explored. Finally, throughout the chapter we consider other factors that may influence these relationships between digital media use, depression and anxiety. The chapter concludes with considering clinical implications and future research directions.

Despite the pervasive use of social technology among minoritized youth, digital media research has been primarily based on White samples of older adolescents and emerging adults. It is critical to understand how overlooked populations including racial-ethnic, sexual and gender, and other minorities use digital media for purposes associated with their marginalized backgrounds. As social media adopters are becoming younger, we must explore how the pervasiveness of constant exposure and use affects marginalized identity development in early adolescence. This chapter provides an overview of how understudied subgroups of adolescents, namely racial/ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+, economically disadvantaged, and neurodiverse individuals, are influenced by online representations affecting their identity development, and inherent opportunities for risk and resilience. Social media research needs a) to begin at earlier developmental stages to capture critical identity development online and offline; b) more nuanced research beyond digital access to examine online connections for healthy identity exploration of marginalized adolescents.

Substance use, aggression/violence, delinquency, and risky sexual behaviors emerge and peak during adolescence, as teens enter new social and digital ecologies. This chapter reviews the literature on the co-occurrence and mutual influences between adolescent digital media use and engagement in online and offline health risk behaviors, with attentions to the mechanisms underlying these associations. Research suggests the quantity of time adolescents spend online is less important than the quality of how they spend that time, and that many well-documented peer influence processes (first studied in face-to-face peer interactions) are also emerging in online spaces. Shared vulnerabilities, peer selection, peer socialization, and identity development are important mechanisms helping us understand why adolescents engage in online and offline risk taking (and thus potential targets of interventions to reduce risk processes). This chapter highlights directions for future research, emphasizing longitudinal and experimental designs to improve causal inference and testing directionality of effects.

Where is the line between virtual and real? This chapter introduces readers to the complex components, physical and virtual, which constitute our rapidly changing digital world. It examines how digital forms of representation blur the boundaries between what is considered material. The chapter addresses issues of transcendence and transgression in virtual space.

With the rise of digital technologies the number and diversity of related tools (such as phones, computers, 3-D printers, etc.) have markedly increased. This chapter examines how digital objects and other new technologies alter human experiences with the material world.