logo
episode-header-image
May 2023
13m 12s

We Need To Talk About Teens, Social Medi...

NPR
About this episode
This week, the American Psychological Association issued its first-of-kind guidelines for parents to increase protection for children online. It comes at a time of rising rates of depression and anxiety among teens.

This episode, NPR science correspondent Michaeleen Doucleff looks into the data on how that seismic change has shifted the mental health of teenagers. In her reporting, she found that the seismic shift of smartphones and social media has re-defined how teens socialize, communicate and even sleep.

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Aug 22
Could labs replace your natural chocolate?
Chocolate may fill grocery store shelves around the world, but the raw product that powers chocolate is far more selective. The majority of chocolate farms are found in West Africa and South America – just 20 degrees north or south of the equator. Each farm produces chocolate of ... Show More
8m 50s
Aug 20
The Yellowstone Wolf Controversy
Thirty years ago, park rangers reintroduced grey wolves into Yellowstone National Park. They wanted to restore the ecosystem and get the elk population, which had decimated the plant community, in check. And it worked – or so the popular narrative suggests. But is it really so si ... Show More
13m 55s
Aug 19
Toxic? These Animals Don't Care
Imagine, you’re a toxic toad hanging around South America. No other animals are gonna mess with you, right? After all, you’re ~toxic~! So if anyone tries to eat you, they’ll be exposed to something called a cardiotonic steroid — and may die of a heart attack. Well, unfortunately, ... Show More
13m 36s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2021
Keeping teens safe on social media, with Linda Charmaraman, PhD
The vast majority of U.S. teens have access to a smartphone and at least one social media account, and recent headlines seem to confirm parents’ worst fears about the effects of all that time spent online. But psychologists’ research suggests that there are nuanced answers to the ... Show More
28m 23s
May 2023
How social media affects teens’ mental health, with Jacqueline Nesi, PhD
Congress and state legislators are considering laws to restrict teen social media use, and school districts are suing social media companies for harming kids’ mental health. Are parents and policy makers right to be so concerned? Jacqueline Nesi, PhD, of Brown University, talks a ... Show More
32m 20s
May 2024
Are Smartphones Really Driving the Rise in Teenage Depression?
Today—a closer critical look at the relationship between smartphones and mental health. One of the themes we’ve touched on more than any other on this show is that American teenagers—especially girls—appear to be “engulfed” in historic rates of anxiety and sadness. The numbers ar ... Show More
38m 5s
Mar 2023
The Selfie Effect on Your Brain
American teens are experiencing a rise in mental health challenges according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This includes high levels of sadness amid significant declines in overall well-being, especially among girls and LGBQ+ youth. Could soc ... Show More
36m 23s
Aug 2022
Inside the Adolescent Mental Health Crisis
This episode contains discussions about suicide, self-harm and mental health issues.In decades past, the public health risks teenagers in the United States faced were different. They were externalized risks that were happening in the physical world.Now, a new set of risks has eme ... Show More
29m 2s
Mar 2024
Social Media and Your Kids: Your Questions Answered
Last year, the U.S. Surgeon General warned that social media could pose “profound risk of harm” to young people’s mental health. What makes social media potentially harmful, and whose responsibility is it to protect kids? Reporters Julie Jargon and Jeff Horwitz answer your questi ... Show More
18m 10s
Apr 2024
What we often get wrong about teens and screen time
There’s been a lot of debate lately about the potential effects of smartphones and social media on young people’s mental health. Some states like states like Florida and Utah have even tried to ban kids from using social media apps until they reach a certain age. But Mikey Jensen ... Show More
29m 5s
May 2024
How to Help Kids Navigate the Dangers of Social Media and Screens
Today we have a no B.S. guide to what is happening right now with kids and teens and screens and social media. Joining us is Dr. Alison Yeung, a physician and mom who is giving parents a balanced, data-driven approach to the effects of social media and screens. From the alarming ... Show More
46m 34s
Mar 2023
What’s behind the crisis in teen mental health? With Kathleen Ethier, PhD
Recently released CDC data found that teen girls are experiencing startling levels of sadness and violence -- nearly 1 in 3 had seriously considered suicide and 57 percent felt persistently sad or hopeless. The report also found high levels of distress among LGBQ+ teens. Dr. Kath ... Show More
37m 33s
Sep 2023
SPECIAL | The teen mental health crisis is now urgent
The US Surgeon General recently called kids’ declining mental health the “defining public health crisis of our time.” As another school year gets underway, we ask, how do we protect our kids? Dr. Lisa Damour, host of the popular “Ask Lisa” podcast which gives guidance to parents ... Show More
14m 37s