Unit 2 Feedback

I decided to review this life stage of Early Adolescence because I distinctly remember this phase of my own life BEING. ABSOLUTELY. HORRID.  There is so much information that I wish I had access to at this time of life "to make sense of it all" that simply wasn't provided then.   While being a teenager is difficult no matter what era you hail from, I can only imagine how much more complicated this phase of life is given our current technological and media driven societal norms of the American culture.   

I’m glad that within your page you provided some statistics and first hand video testimony about he impact of social networks and peer influence.  It feels impossible to separate these aspects of cultural norms from the interpretation of behavior teenagers display.  What I would be curious to read more of, is if you have located any studies that have researched the impact of prolonged social media or screen time use in how it is altering neurochemistry for modern teens?  I recently purchased a book called iGeneration, as recommended by a previous professor, and it addresses the development and norms of a burgeoning generation that has limited to no exposure to “playing outside”.  Given what we know about the importance of physical activity, it seems safe to assume this will have drastic impact on the cognitive processing and neuro-adaptability regarding the future of our society.  

Overall, I think you have presented very cohesive and clearly organized content.  Your videos are wonderful and really articulate great details pertaining to the science behind the adolescent female brain, as well as providing insight to the life of a typical adolescent girl.   The use of charts and graphs were also great visuals!  The last graph depicting the prevalence of major depressive disorders in girls by age is pretty startling.  And it begs the question, what can we be doing better to ensure that these girls are empowered to be stronger, braver, more resilient women to shape our future -- and their own??

Great work! 

- Heather