Growing Up with AI: The Role of Families in a Changing Developmental Landscape
Teachers College Dean's Lecture Series
Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2026
Time: 2–3 p.m.
Location: Johnson Seminar Room (TC 1008), Teachers College
As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into everyday life, how is it changing the way families parent, adolescents develop, and young people interact with technology?
Join Ball State University's Teachers College for a presentation by Dr. Shu Su, Associate Professor and Assistant Chair of the Department of Early Childhood, Youth, and Family Studies.
Drawing on four interconnected studies conducted during her special assigned leave, Dr. Su will explore how parents' beliefs about AI influence family relationships, how parents use emerging technologies to navigate parenting challenges, and how adolescents' developmental strengths shape their engagement with AI.
Her findings highlight both the opportunities and limitations of artificial intelligence in family and educational settings, offering a developmental science perspective on what it means to grow up in an increasingly AI-integrated world.
About Dr. Su
Dr. Shu Su is an Associate Professor and Assistant Chair of the Department of Early Childhood, Youth, and Family Studies at Ball State University. She earned her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from Auburn University and joined Ball State in 2016. Her research examines how parenting practices, peer relationships, and cultural contexts influence social development and well-being across childhood, adolescence, and emerging adulthood. Her work also explores the experiences of youth and families from diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.
This event is free and open to the public.