“Success is what you do with your ability. It’s how you use your talent.” – George Allen, Sr. I have been a member of the YouTube Youth & Family Advisory Committee since its inception. (Don’t worry, UvA – it’s registered ancillary Read More
Podcast Appearance: Net Echt
I had a fun opportunity to sit down with the University rector, Peter-Paul Verbeek, to discuss our overlapping areas of research during an episode on his podcast Net Echt. While typically our conversations focus on our visions for education, it Read More
New Bachelor Announced!
The secret is out – we (the Communication Science department at the UvA) have launched a new Bachelor programme. I’m, of course, biased but it’s BRILLIANT. The world is changing, fast. Technology has meant that national borders are often invisible, Read More
Empowering & Protecting Youth Online
I had the chance to speak at Meta’s Youth Summit on 18 February 2024 in Brussels (on a beautiful sunny day!) It was an interesting day, with several inspiring conversations. Personally, I was happy to sit on a panel where Read More
Decoding Media: How Gen Z & Alpha Engage
All too often, we hear the (news) media report on GenZ – framing the group as a monolithic entity with one voice and one shared ideology. During my talk with Microsoft Global Comms on 14 February, I highlighted fact versus Read More
Opinion: Banning Social Media Won’t Save Our Kids
The growing movement advocating for social media bans for youth, particularly those under 16, reflects understandable concerns about mental health. Parents face immense challenges: navigating their children’s education, social lives, and emotional well-being amidst a rapidly changing social media landscape. Read More
Like, Share, Struggle?
On Tuesday, 3 February, I spoke at the event “Grenzeloos Online? Leeftijdsverificatie en de Digitale Generatie” (Borderless Online? Age Verification and the Digital Generation), hosted by Offlimits. It was a lovely afternoon with interesting talks from Simone van der Hof Read More
Valorisation Prize for Charge Your Brainzzz
Congrats to our Charge Your Brainzzz team for winning the Valorization Award of the Faculty of Science at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam! Sleep and health are so important, and we are proud that with Charge Your Brainzzz research, we can Read More
New article: Next-gen childhoods
When the Journal of Children & Media launched, the digital society was just beginning. Gameboys topped holiday wish lists and TheFacebook was a novelty. I was in my early days of graduate school, trying to grasp this changing world. So Read More
Supporting A Brighter Future for Youth in the Digital Society
During a (snowy … yes, snowy) visit to Brussels, I was humbled to deliver the keynote address for the 2024 Safer Internet Forum. During my talk, I focused on key actions and tools we can use to protect and empower Read More