Youth are increasingly exposed to digital influences that may lead to risky behaviors. At the Youth Risk & Resilience Lab at the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions, Joy Gabrielli, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, and fellow investigators are studying how youth engage with media and how it may affect their use of substances, such as alcohol and cannabis.
Gabrielli has combined a long-standing interest in youth in foster care with substance use prevention strategies. Children in foster care are one of the most vulnerable populations because of experiences such as separation from caregivers, changes in schools and the loss of familiar support systems, she said.
“What we see very consistently in the literature is that youth in foster care are at increased risk for almost every single health outcome that we can measure,” Gabrielli said.
Lab projects include characterizing alcohol-related content on platforms such as TikTok, and identifying patterns of digital media engagement linked to substance use. Findings inform strategies to strengthen protective factors, such as increased parental involvement and targeted prevention efforts.
Surprisingly, Gabrielli says, older teens report they wish they had had more parental involvement in their digital usage when they were younger.
Learn more about how the Youth Risk & Resilience Lab is creating interventions that promote healthier futures for youth.