The Broken Pipeline: Challenges in Disseminating Research on Adolescent Digital Media Use

Since its inception, digital media has become nearly ubiquitous in adolescents' everyday lives. Public discourse surrounding online platforms has fueled research exploring how digital media contexts may be affecting adolescent development. However, distinct features of digital media have imposed unique challenges on research dissemination, thereby limiting its accessibility for adolescents, parents, and community members (e.g., educators, policy makers) who it may benefit the most. In this review, we examine pressing issues confronted by adolescent digital media use researchers which may be impending effective translation of findings. Drawing from other disciplines, we offer integrative suggestions for communicating data on adolescent digital media use to adolescents, parents, and the public in accessible, practical, and beneficial ways. Recommendations include involving participants in dissemination processes, reframing translation as an iterative process, proposing actionable and practical solutions, and using appropriate materials and platforms for the target population. While the proposed strategies to improve dissemination address unique characteristics of adolescent media use research, they may be applied to a range of topics and disciplines. What Is the Significance of This Article for the General Public? Drawing from other disciplines, this review highlights the current gaps and offers future strategies to ensure that adolescent digital media use research is disseminated in a timely and accessible manner. Improving research dissemination practices will ensure research findings are communicated effectively to the populations and communities they impact the most.