logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2024
18m 10s

Social Media and Your Kids: Your Questio...

The Wall Street Journal
About this episode

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 questions about how social media works and what that means for parents. And Nicol Turner Lee, director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution, tells us about the role legislation could play. Luke Vargas hosts.


Further reading:

​​‘You Have Blood on Your Hands’: Senators Say Tech Platforms Hurt Children 

States Crack Down on Social Media for Teens: ‘There Are No Guardrails’

NYC Sues Social-Media Companies for Youth Mental-Health Effects 

Keeping Teens Safe Online Has to Go Beyond Parental Controls. Here’s What to Do. 

Meta Staff Found Instagram Tool Enabled Child Exploitation. The Company Pressed Ahead Anyway. 

How Governments Are Trying to Keep Young Children Off Social Media, From Face Scans to ID Checks 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Up next
Today
The Art of the Peace Deal
A.M. Edition for Oct. 10. President Trump's application of pressure is a key factor in securing a cease fire in Gaza after two years of conflict. WSJ’s Anat Peled explains what happens next, including Israeli forces withdrawing from parts of the Gaza Strip preparations for the re ... Show More
14m 16s
Yesterday
Airport Delays Become a Focus in the Shutdown Fight
P.M. Edition for Oct. 9. As the government shutdown stretches beyond a week, federal employees—including air-traffic controllers—are working without pay. WSJ reporter Anvee Bhutani discusses how a shortage of those workers could be crucial in the fight to end the government shutd ... Show More
13m 59s
Yesterday
Gaza Hostage Deal Marks First Step on Long Road to Peace
A.M. Edition for Oct. 9. Israel and Hamas agree to the first phase of President Trump’s peace plan, with all hostages set to be released and Israeli troops to withdraw to an agreed-upon area. The WSJ’s Michael Amon explains what happens next. Plus, senior Republicans quietly advi ... Show More
11m 51s
Recommended Episodes
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
Mar 2023
A Sweeping Plan to Protect Kids From Social Media
A few days ago, Utah became the first state to pass a law prohibiting social media services from allowing users under 18 to have accounts without the explicit consent of a parent or guardian. The move, by Republican officials, is intended to address what they describe as a mental ... Show More
27m 30s
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
Jun 2024
Ep. 218: A warning label on social media?
There is a movement afoot to restrict young people’s access to social media and pornography. Critics of social media and online porn argue that they can be harmful to minors, and states across the country are taking up the cause, considering laws that would impose age-verificatio ... Show More
1h 26m
Nov 2023
Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy: social media and America's youth crisis
Young people were struggling before the pandemic. Today, their mental health challenges are acute—and social media is making it worse. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has been sounding the alarm, and he tells Niala Boodhoo: "If we don't do something now, we are at risk of l ... Show More
21m 46s
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 2024
Can social media ever be a safe place for kids?
The UK media regulator has set out new rules for social media companies designed to keep children safe online.    The new Ofcom rules include age verification and reformulating algorithms to keep children away from "toxic" content. But parents whose children have died as a result ... Show More
17m 37s
May 2023
We Need To Talk About Teens, Social Media And Mental Health
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 look ... Show More
13m 12s
Feb 2024
Navigating the Digital Age: Youth, Technology, and Social Media Survival
Is social media turning your kids into digital zombies? You wouldn't believe how much time the average person will spend scrolling their phone in a lifetime, but the effects that endless scrolling is having on today's youth is becoming more and more apparent. Is there anything th ... Show More
43m 36s