meet the speaker

Kaitlyn Burnell, Ph.D.

Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Developmental Psychology and Psychological Outcomes of Digital Technology in Children and Teens

Kaitlyn Burnell is a Research Assistant Professor with the University of North Carolina Winston National Center on Technology Use, Brain and Psychological Development. She received her Ph.D. in Psychological Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas, with a concentration in developmental psychology. Her research adapts a developmental focus to study how adolescents and emerging adults use digital technologies, including social media and smartphones. Kaitlyn’s research examines the associations between digital technology use and a wide array of psychosocial outcomes, including well-being and mental health, body image, and risky behavior such as substance use. She has a special interest in applying cutting edge methodological approaches to study these linkages, such as the use of passive sensing, eye-tracking, and observational coding.