A message from our Founder & Director, Dr. Michael Rich and our Executive Director, Cori Stott
From our 2025 Impact Report
Dear Friend of the Lab,
We have all been in rooms that claim to center youth. This year, we built one that truly did.
In November 2025, we hosted our first Amplify Youth Summit in partnership with the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) and the McGee Applied Research Center for Narrative Studies at Vanderbilt University. During the Summit, young people were not just present, they were the largest group in the room. They represented a wide range of backgrounds, communities, and lived experiences. And they didn’t just participate; they led.
What stood out was not only who the youth participants were, but how they showed up. These young attendees led in different ways—quietly, boldly, analytically, creatively. They challenged assumptions, asked sharp questions, and offered solutions grounded in their real experiences. In a world increasingly shaped by digital environments, they made one thing clear: they understand this space in ways adults simply cannot.
That insight defines this year’s report: Young people are the experts about their own digital lives.
Our 2025 research reinforces this idea again and again. Teens approach technology with more intention, nuance, and self-awareness than they are often given credit for. They share many of the same concerns as parents and educators, but their responses are often more pragmatic, more adaptive, and less driven by fear.
This is not about stepping back as adults, but about stepping up for youth differently. Young people bring critical insights and knowledge that adults don’t have. They see what works, what fails, and what needs to change. When we listen, the path forward becomes clearer.
We see this in the Amplify Youth workshops we deliver domestically and around the world. Teens arrive at our workshops expecting to be told what they are doing wrong. Instead, we recognize what they are already doing right and build from there. Many already have strategies for managing their digital lives. When we work to strengthen those instincts they feel seen, respected, and more capable of making intentional, healthful choices.
At the same time, we are helping adults shift their approach. Too often, efforts to protect young people are driven by fear, narrowing the focus to risk and overlooking young people’s need for growth, exploration, and learning in digital spaces. Young people are asking to be supported with clear expectations, honest dialogue, and tools that help them navigate complexity. Through our resources and outreach, we are equipping families, educators, and clinicians to meet them in that space.
What young people share with us does not stay in the room but instead shapes everything we do. It informs the guidance we provide to technology companies, the tools we develop for clinicians, and the resources we create for families. It is how we transform our research into meaningful impact.
Thank you for being part of it, and for helping us amplify the voices that matter most.
Be well,
Michael Rich, MD, MPH
Founder & Director, Pediatrician
Cori Stott, MBA, EdM
Executive Director