Authors
Dr. Emily Weinstein
emily_weinstein@harvard.edu
Dr. Emily Weinstein is a social scientist who has spent over a decade researching the ways today’s technologies are shaping and reshaping adolescents’ lives. Her work chases answers to questions like: What is like for teens to grow up with social media? How does radical connectivity matter for social, emotional, and civic development? She is currently a Principal Investigator and research director at Project Zero at Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she and Carrie James lead a suite of projects about digital dilemmas and digital well-being. She is also a lecturer at Harvard GSE and teaches T510A: Digital Dilemmas.
Weinstein is an expert on adolescent psychology and a thoughtful methodologist. She has a deep commitment to reframing conversations about teens and technology in ways that put young people’s voices alongside existing evidence. Weinstein is also a longtime collaborator of Common Sense Media, translating research insights for their award-winning Digital Citizenship curriculum. Insights from her research and perspectives have appeared in places like Tech Crunch, The Boston Globe, The Atlantic, and Time Magazine.
Weinstein holds a doctorate in Human Development and Education and a master's degree in Prevention Science and Practice, both from Harvard. She is also a proud graduate of Cornell and a parent; her toddler does not have a TikTok (yet).
Dr. Carrie James
carrie_james@harvard.edu
Dr. Carrie James is a sociologist and longtime researcher of young people’s experiences. Emphasizing qualitative methods, her work explores opportunities and dilemmas of digital life for adolescents’ well-being, social lives, and civic participation. James is a Principal Investigator and Senior Research Associate at Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She also oversees research on civics at The Democratic Knowledge Project at Harvard’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics. James has long collaborated with Common Sense Media to bring research-based insights into their digital citizenship curriculum.
In addition to Behind Their Screens, James is the author of the book, Disconnected: Youth, New Media, and the Ethics Gap (MIT Press, 2014). James and Weinstein are currently writing a book that details novel classroom approaches for supporting digital well-being and citizenship (under contract at Wiley/Jossey-Bass). Her perspectives have appeared in diverse outlets, including The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, NPR’s Marketplace, Tech Crunch, and The Washington Post.
James has an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Sociology from NYU and is a parent to two technology-loving children, ages 14 and 18.