Romantic Relationships During Adolescence

Teaching college students about adolescence can be a wild ride. Many college students are not that far removed from adolescence themselves which allows for a depth and breadth of conversation that can be fun and fascinating while also making me feel quite old! There can be drawbacks to such relatability between the subject topic and the students when discussions devolve into sharing stories of “well when I was a teenager…” While fun in moderation, these derailments do not further the scientific goals of a psychology classroom. To combat this, I tried to fill my Adolescent Development seminar-style course with structured activities to help my students make connections between their own lives and the literature on adolescent behavior.

I’ve created and refined one such activity which has allowed students to dig into the ever important topic of romantic relationships during adolescence. I’ve used this assignment successfully in my course which met once-a-week as a seminar-style class comprised of undergraduate students who are not necessarily psychology majors. Yet, the assignment is fairly versatile and could easily be adapted for use in many developmental courses (e.g., adolescent development, lifespan development) and at the graduate or undergraduate level. It could be done as a group discussion (as I did), and I’ve also explored how it can be modified for use in a discussion post format for asynchronous classes, or even as a larger term project. Below, I shared the general structure I used in my class, along with some considerations, tips, and ideas for expansion.

Step 1: Overview & Background

Begin with an overview of adolescent romantic relationships (you might also consider reviewing some of the key theories in this area if you have not already done so)

●      Mental health benefits/challenges associated with teens’ romantic relationships

●      Long-term impacts could online dating have on teens’ social skills and relationship-building abilities as they enter adulthood

●      The role of parents/guardians in balancing and guiding teens regarding media/technology (particularly for those who are not fully aware of the risks themselves).

 

Step 2: Small Group Discussion

Divide students into groups of 3-5 and ask them to imagine they are on a team that’s been tasked with designing a safe dating app for today’s teens. Here are some key areas they could consider while designing their app (although feel free to pick and choose or add your own!):

●      App Name and Purpose: What is the app’s name, and what image or message does it send to teens? How is it different from other apps?

●      Safety Features: What features will ensure that teens stay safe while using the app?

●      Age Verification: How will the app ensure only teens are using it?

●      Privacy Controls: How will users control their information (e.g., sharing photos, location)?

●      Reporting System: How will teens report bullying, harassment, or inappropriate behavior?

●      Education: How will the app educate users about respectful relationships?

●      Parental Involvement: How will the app balance parental guidance with teen independence? Will there be a role for parents, or is the focus solely on the teen’s autonomy?

●      Inclusivity and Diversity: How will the app ensure that it’s inclusive of all gender identities, sexual orientations, and cultural backgrounds?

●      Emotional Well-being and Mental Health: Will the app offer resources or support for teens experiencing stress or emotional issues in their relationships?

●      Technology and Moderation: What kind of technology will be used to moderate interactions and ensure safety (e.g., artificial intelligence to flag harmful language, moderation of photo uploads)?

 

Step 3: Large Group Discussion

Ask each group to share the overview of their app, including some of its more notable features. They could also share some of the challenges they encountered during their discussion, or things they found especially problematic to work through (e.g., how to ensure that only teenagers would be able to access the site, the role of parents, etc.). You can also use the following questions to guide this discussion:

●      What were the most innovative safety features presented? How might these help protect teen users?

●      How can online dating apps contribute to the development of healthy relationships among teens?

●      What role (if any) should adults play in supporting teens’ use of these apps?

●      How can technology support teens in managing their relationships responsibly and respectfully?

 

Assessment

I did not do any formal assessment on this activity (although you certainly could!), but can anecdotally report that students really enjoyed it. They were engaged, focused, and asked each other lots of great questions during the open discussion. Assessment methodology would depend on the way this activity was used (in other words, a discussion board would warrant a different assessment strategy than if this was used as a term project).

 

Thinking bigger

For the purpose of my class (which only met once a week and had a different topic to cover each time we met), we did this as a fairly small activity. Students were challenged to think through each piece and provide their rationale/justification for their choices to their classmates, who I encouraged to ask questions and poke “holes” in the arguments (which led to some really great discussions!). However, there is certainly space to go even bigger if your situation allows - even turning this into a full term project. Here are some ideas for ways to expand and extend this project:

●      Use poster boards to show what their app interface would look like and present them in a poster session

●      Create a fictional teenager and simulate their experience using the app

●      Create public policy/write a letter to a senator around teen online safety

●      After designing the app, interview a parent and a teen to get their perspectives.

 

Dr. Jill M. Swirsky is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Holy Family University in Philadelphia, PA. Her research is on adolescent social development, particularly the specific ways which teens use social media and how these behaviors can impact their adjustment. In her free time, Dr. S enjoys reading baking, reading fantasy novels, and spending time with her family.

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