Megan Maas

Megan Maas, PhD, is an assistant professor in Human Development & Family Studies at Michigan State University. Her award-winning research, recognized by the American Psychological Association, focuses on adolescent sexual development, with an emphasis on the roles that social media and online pornography play in the development of attitudes and behavior related to sexuality and gender.

Broadly, her work promotes healthy romantic relationships and prevents sexual harassment and assault. Currently, she receives funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control to conduct 3 branches of research: (1) collecting data from adolescents on their media and sexuality experiences; (2) data from parents on how they discuss sexuality and pornography with their children; and (3) developing and adapting sexual harassment and media literacy curriculum for middle and high schools.

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Born and raised in California, Megan earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from California State University, Sacramento. She also holds master’s and doctorate degrees in Human Development & Family Studies from The Pennsylvania State University. Before going to Penn State in 2011, Megan worked in health education and developed a popular lecture series which integrated peer-reviewed information on pornography use into sexual health behavior for lectures for college students, parents and mental health professionals. Since then, Megan has served as a facilitator, workshop leader, and speaker on issues revolving around adolescent sexuality, pornography use, parent-child communication about sexuality, and online sexual harassment at universities and organizations across the country.