Portrait of a young man with light skin, brown hair, and a short beard, wearing a navy blazer and a black turtleneck, sitting with his hands clasped in front of him against a dark background.

Thinking about how we grow

Research, writing, and reflections on psychology, education, and technology.

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Current Areas of Focus

Connected Teenagers

  • How identity, emotion, and autonomy form during adolescence in online and algorithmic environments.

  • How young people think, choose, and self-direct in systems shaped by algorithms and AI.

  • How adolescents form relationships, trust, and meaning with and through digital and AI systems.

Explore my work →

I am a researcher, educator, and entrepreneur working at the intersection of developmental psychology, education, and artificial intelligence.

My work focuses on how adolescents develop identity, agency, and emotional regulation inside digital and algorithmic environments, particularly in contexts of learning, support, and everyday decision-making.

This work draws on academic research, applied practice in education, and long-term engagement with AI systems since 2016.

Read more about my background →
People attending a conference or seminar in a modern classroom, some wearing face masks, with two large presentation screens at the front displaying a slide about technology and personal safety.

Presenting my work at Cornell University, New York, 2022.

Editorial list

Featured
Why So Many “Bad” Behaviours Are Really About Safety
Why So Many “Bad” Behaviours Are Really About Safety

Many behaviours we condemn - avoidance, people-pleasing, jealousy, even betrayal - are not driven by a desire to feel good, but by an urgent need to feel safe. When safety has not been fully internalised, relief becomes the next best substitute. Relief works quickly. It soothes the body in the moment. It also teaches the nervous system the wrong lesson.

What Children Actually Need From Safety
What Children Actually Need From Safety

We confuse protection with presence.
We confuse control with care.
And we do this with the very people we most want to see grow into strong, autonomous adults.

Living Inside Algorithms
Living Inside Algorithms

Today, many young people grow up inside environments that watch, predict, and respond to them in real time. Algorithms decide what they see, what is suggested next, what is amplified, and what quietly disappears. These systems are not neutral backdrops. They are active environments, shaping attention, preference, and possibility.

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