(upbeat music) - Coming up next on ""NewsDepth," Congress talks to social media CEOs about online dangers.

Going to the Super Bowl?

We take a look at the prices for tickets.

A company thinks they've found Amelia Earhart's plane.

And Mary tells us about the great female pioneers of the sky from our state.

""NewsDepth"" is now.

Top social media CEOs are in the hot seat on Capitol Hill.

Hi, I'm Ygal Kaufman in for Gabriel Kramer.

Thank you for joining us.

Some consumer groups and health experts say social media can put kids and teens at risk for everything from bullying to eating disorders to depression.

Let's first define social media.

Social media refers to the interactions between people when they create or share information and ideas in a virtual community.

Examples of social media include Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook.

And last week, lawmakers brought in five top tech executives for a grilling on how they plan to make the spaces safer.

Karen Caifa in Washington with more.

- [Karen] Parents holding photos of young loved ones allegedly harmed by social media, greeting CEOs from Meta, X, TikTok, Snap, and Discord Wednesday as they arrived to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee over potential dangers posed by their platforms.

- Their constant pursuit of engagement and profit over basic safety have all put our kids and grandkids at risk.

- [Karen] At issue, fears of a worsening mental health crisis among children and teens due to social media, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle blasting the five CEOs for not backing legislation to keep users safe.

- I'm so tired of this.

It's been 28 years, what?

Since the internet, we haven't passed any of these bills.

- [Karen] The social media companies have largely maintained they are best suited to help users make smart decisions, touting enhanced safety policies and tools, while also deflecting responsibility.

- Mental health is a complex issue, and the existing body of scientific work has not shown a causal link between using social media and young people having worse mental health outcomes.

- [Karen] The senators appeared unconvinced, demanding the corporations accept more oversight and be held accountable for any harm caused by their platforms.

- Have you ever laid in bed getting ready to sleep, but you find yourself in an endless scroll and you realize you've been staring at this little screen for over an hour?

If that happens to you very often, it could be electronic addiction.

Electronic addiction is a term used to describe excessive and compulsive use of electronic devices and online activities.

This trend has become more prevalent with the widespread availability of smartphones.

For this week's Spot on Science, Margaret speaks with a psychologist about the problems that can come with too much screen time.

(upbeat electronic music) - Have you ever thought about thinking?

Okay, it's enough to give me a headache, but that's exactly what psychology is.

The study of the brain and how it impacts emotion and behavior.

And someone who does this professionally is called a psychologist.

They can work in all sorts of fields, from figuring out what kind of commercial can get me to buy candy, to how to stop me from fighting with my siblings.

Now, I invited psychologist, Dr. Jay Burke, to the studio to tell me about the area he focuses on, kids and electronics.

He's been studying why we can't put down our phones or the video game controllers until we've just gotten to that next level.

When it gets bad, it's called electronic addiction.

Take a listen.

- So electronic addiction would be different than electronic usage.

So let me explain.

I think it's important for people to understand.

Lots of people use electronics, electronics are part of everybody's life right now, and so people are having to understand that electronic addiction means you're having a problem related to use of electronics.

So a good way to say it would be you use the electronics despite negative consequences in your life from somewhere.

You're getting in trouble in school, your parents are saying you're on too long, and your grades are suffering, your friends are suffering.

That's a signal that you're having a problem.

Versus there's a healthy balance in your life, you're playing a little bit of video games, you're still out with your friends, you're still playing sports, you're in arts, you're in music, drama.

Whatever you're doing, there's a balance, that's the key.

- And it's important for kids who are younger to start making healthy habits so that it doesn't spiral out of control.

What are some tips that you have to make healthy habits when it comes to electronics?

- Well, I think so the goal is is that the kid is able to set a limit that they're gonna manage themselves.

So it's, if they're setting a limit and you're not staying to it, that's a problem.

Now, some of your kids out there might wanna think about this, it's a fun question.

What's the original video game?

You're young.

What's the original video game that was out there?

- Ooh, "Pacman"?

- "Pacman."

It's older than "Pacman."

- "Pong."

- "Pong," excellent.

(Margaret laughing) So "Pong" had three turns, boop, boop, ball back and forth.

Pong had three turns.

So now one of the things you're seeing is there's no end point to video games.

So when your mom says, come down for dinner, and I'll be down after this game, that could be three years from now.

In "Pong," it was very different.

- [Margaret] Right.

- So the games are designed to be more addictive.

So for kids to know, addictive means you have a harder time stopping.

Somebody that are playing games might see this, which is, I don't want to get off the game because the game's gonna penalize me by blocking me from the game for a certain amount of time if I get off.

And that's important because they're psychologically set up to do that.

They don't want you quitting in the middle of the game.

- So it's important to remember that you're playing a game.

You wanna outsmart it in knowing that it wants you to keep playing.

- Well, outsmart it.

So for example, if your friends are on the game, you don't want to quit because your friends are on the game.

So being able to say to your friends, "no, I have to get off, I have to get my homework done."

That's what we're looking for.

Kids that can manage that kind of thing.

Because it's like, "all my friends are still playing.

I don't want to get off, I don't wanna finish my homework."

Then it's 10 o'clock at night, homework's not done, they're falling asleep at in school during the day.

That's a problem.

- Definitely, definitely.

Well, thank you so much for coming in to chat a little bit about this.

- Well, I appreciate the opportunity to talk.

- Oh, thank you, Margaret.

It can be hard to break a habit, but our brains will thank us if we can minimize our screen time.

For this week's poll, we wanna know what you think.

How old should you be to be on social media?

Jump over to our poll page to vote.

You can choose between eight years old or younger, 10 years old, 12 years old, or 15 and older.

And now for our write-in question.

We want you to explain your answer.

Why do you think that kids should be at least that old to be on social media?

You can use our inbox form online or send us an email to NewsDepth@ideastream.org to share your answers with us.

For our poll last week we asked you if you thought tackle football should be banned for young kids.

Out of almost 3000 votes, 76% of you don't agree that it should be banned because it's fun for kids, and 24% of you voted for yes, it should be banned because it's a high-risk sport.

Thank you all for voting.

Last week we also asked you to invent a new sport.

Let's see what you came up with by opening up our inbox.

Lizzie from Chardon Hills Stem School in Euclid hit a home run with this new sport.

"'NewsDepth'", my sport is flag baseball.

You have to hit the baseball to one flag.

Whoever gets the baseball to the farthest flag wins.

There are nine innings just like normal baseball.

P.S., give NewsHound lots of head scratches."

Will do, Lizzie.

NewsHound always gets lots of scratches.

Sebastian from St. Gabriel Consolidated School in Glendale invented a fun sport with friends.

"Me and my friends invented a new game at camp called socket ball.

It's like you kick a ball, and it has to touch the opposing team's side.

Then if you hit the other side, it equals one point, but if the ball goes in the basket, it equals 10 points.

The counselor said that he'd even make it an official camp game.

And tell NewsHound I love him."

Wow, that sounds like a game I'd love to play.

Thanks, Sebastian.

Nina from Richardson Elementary in Cuyahoga Falls wrote about a game you can play as a team.

"Hi, 'NewsDepth'.

My sport is called wall-ball.

To play high up, you have to take a dodge ball, tie a thick string to it, and duct tape it to the ceiling.

Then get it wet and blow on it.

Now use anything except a stool or chair to hit the ball.

Then try to hit it so hard it comes off the ceiling.

Get creative.

Just don't stand on your siblings.

With love, Nina."

(laughs) I think that's good advice for most sports, Nina.

Wesley from Rainsboro Elementary in Bainbridge invented a sport where you have to be very precise.

"Dear 'NewsDepth', the game I want to invent is ricochet ball.

Ricochet ball is a fun and hard game.

You'll have to hit two balls together.

It's kinda like baseball, but instead of a bat and a ball, it's a ball hits another ball.

It would be really hard, but sometimes you have to try to think of something new.

I hope I win because it took me really long to think of the name."

And Kaylin from Hillsdale Local Schools in Ashland County invented a sport you can play with a horse.

"Dear 'NewsDepth,' if I could invent a new sport, it would be horse soccer.

It's basically like normal soccer.

The way you play it is you ride the horse towards the ball and the horse would most likely hit it.

I would invent horse soccer because my friend plays soccer and I like horses.

That's why I would invent horse soccer."

I think I want to try some of these new sports over the weekend.

We have one more letter to share from our last episode.

Katie from Milford Junior High sent us this letter through the mail to tell us about winter on Neptune.

"My favorite planet is Neptune and winter on Neptune looks like a lot of ice and some snow, and the temperature is negative 220 degrees."

Thanks Katie, and thanks to everyone who sends us letters online and through the mail.

Anyway, let's head back to the news.

The Super Bowl is next Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs will be facing off against the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The last time these two teams faced off in the Super Bowl was 2019 when the Chiefs won.

This year's big game is already proven to be one of the most expensive.

Jen Sullivan explains why prices are soaring on today's Consumer Watch.

- [Jen] Super Bowl 58 is set.

The San Francisco 49 ERs taking on defending Super Bowl champs, the Kansas City Chiefs.

- At the end of the day, we want to compete.

We wanna go out there and win.

- [Jen] Fan enthusiasm's soaring, and so are ticket prices.

As of Monday morning, the get-in price was $8,188, which is 51% more expensive than the get-in price for the Super Bowl this time last year.

According to StubHub, the most expensive ticket listed is more than $85,000 and includes a VIP package.

With the Super Bowl being hosted in Las Vegas, that too could drive up prices since it's a major tourist destination and there's no denying that Taylor Swift's presence at this year's big game will also impact the prices as she cheers on her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelsey.

- You gotta fight for right to party.

- [Jen] The singer has already helped break NFL viewership records.

Last week's playoff game between the Chiefs and the Bills was the most watched divisional playoff game in history.

Airlines are also seizing on the hype.

American Airlines and United both adding special flights between Kansas City and Las Vegas with special flight numbers like 1989, a nod to the year Swift was born and her most popular album.

- Wow.

Thanks, Jen.

I think going to the Super Bowl is going to be a little bit out of my price range, but I might watch the game at the restaurant near my house.

Okay, if I have an appetizer and maybe a burger, how much do you think I should tip?

(cash register ringing) So everyone might have a different idea on tipping, and sometimes people take into account more than just the dollar amount of the bill.

Knowing how much to tip can be confusing.

An owner of a coffee shop in Salt Lake City, Utah has decided to get rid of tipping altogether.

He says getting rid of tips is going to make it easier for customers, but mostly he's doing it to help his workers.

Christina Flores has the scoop.

- [Christina] At Three Pines Coffee in downtown Salt Lake, (smooth music) customers can always expect a good cup of coffee.

- My thing is I want the espresso and the drip coffee to just be expertly dialed.

- [Christina] What's no longer on the menu is tipping.

- Since when are we tipping for everything?

So I definitely feel tipping fatigue.

- Owner Nick Price says the main reason he got rid of tipping is his workers.

- Because we get pretty busy in the summer, tips are pretty good and then we get a little slower in the winter and tips are pretty bad, and I didn't feel like it was right for my employees to be making less money in those slower months.

- [Christina] So to abolish tips, he raised prices by about a dollar a cup.

- The tip is essentially included in the price already, so the prices up on the board are exactly what you pay.

- [Christina] That allowed him to raise worker pay from $8 an hour to $18 an hour.

- Good to see you guys.

- [Christina] Everett, who's been working here for two years doesn't miss turning the computer screen around to prompt customers to tip.

- It was awkward.

- [Christina] But he loves earning more per hour.

- I know how much I'm gonna bring home and it's really comforting because tips can be very volatile.

- [Christina] And customers like Pickle William say they like it.

- I think that's a good solution.

I think tipping got really out of hand.

I'd rather just pay the higher price.

- [Christina] Price says the no tipping policy has been in place for about 30 days, and so far it's working.

He'll let it brew a little longer before deciding if it's permanent.

- Thank you, Christina.

If I don't go out to a restaurant this weekend, maybe I'll just order some food, you know, through an app like DoorDash.

Well, listen to this next story.

Seattle has a new delivery fee law for delivery drivers on these kind of apps.

Supporters of the law say it will give tens of thousands of drivers a livable wage, but critics say it will make the costs of delivering food skyrocket.

Julie Calhoun reports.

- The floor pay help a lot, and it does a lot.

The Seattle ordinance helps so much.

- [Julie] It's a good day for gig workers like Wei Lin as the city of Seattle's new ordinance takes effect, ensuring app-based food delivery workers receive minimum wage on par with other workers in Seattle.

- In fact, we actually work a lot more and we paid less, get paid less and we cannot see the tip.

Like, we don't, there's no transparency.

- [Jen] Lin works for Gopuff and Uber, and says, since the pandemic, his pay per order has dropped.

- They spent 12, 15, even 18 hours a day at the warehouse to try to make money to try to survive.

- You get paid sick and save time.

- [Jen] But all that changing for an estimated 40,000 gig workers in Seattle.

Seattle City Council passed legislation in 2022, requiring delivery apps to provide a minimum payment for mileage and time worked, plus paid sick and safe time.

But this brings an expected rise in delivery cost.

- The greatest concerns on the restaurant side, more fees, obviously this particular fee is to help benefit the drivers who 100% deserve a living wage.

- [Jen] DoorDash said in a statement, "unfortunately, we expect this will lead to lost revenue for local businesses and fewer earning opportunities for the very workers the regulations are supposed to help."

It says Seattle Dashers will earn at least 26.40 an hour before tips plus mileage, and that in the coming days, people in Seattle ordering from DoorDash will see new fees at checkout to cover the cost, and says, to balance the impact, it's lowering the suggested tip amount on each order.

- We are not trying to make the cost more for the customer.

We never does that.

We don't have the power there.

It's the companies does that.

We just want fair pay.

- Thank you, Julie.

Now we're shifting gears to some incredible aerial news.

A company for deep sea exploration believes they have found a new answer to what happened to Amelia Earhart.

Amelia Earhart was an American aviation pioneer who broke a lot of records.

She was the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean, the first person to fly solo nonstop across the United States.

And in 1937, Earhart attempted to circumnavigate the world with Fred Noonan as her navigator, but her plane disappeared with just 7,000 miles left in the journey.

To circumnavigate means to travel completely around the world.

The CEO of Ocean Exploration Company, Deep Sea Vision, says his team using sonar imaging of the ocean floor discovered an anomaly in the Pacific Ocean.

They say this anomaly resembles the aircraft used by Amelia Earhart when she went missing 87 years ago.

Linda Kincade has the story.

- [Reporter] Amelia Earhart on a globe-girdling flight with navigator Fred Noonan took off for a hop over trackless ocean wastes and was never heard from again.

- [Linda] It's one of the world's greatest mysteries.

Nearly 87 years ago, American aviation pioneer, Amelia Earhart was attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the globe.

Her plane, along with her and her navigator vanished.

On July 2nd, 1937, they departed Lae, Papua New Guinea bound for Howland Island, about 4,000 kilometers away when their plane was lost over the central Pacific Ocean.

The pair were nearing the end of their journey.

Earhart's twin engine, Lockheed Electra, was never recovered.

Now this new image may be the key to bringing some closure to Earhart's story.

Pilot and real estate investor, Tony Romeo of South Carolina-based company, Deep Sea Vision, led a team on a 90-day expedition to look for the lost plane in an extensive search.

The group of underwater archeologists and marine robotics experts scanned more than 13,000 square kilometers of the ocean floor when they spotted an anomaly roughly 161 kilometers from Howland Island where Earhart was planning to refuel.

- The twin vertical stabilizers on the back are very clear on the sonar image, and those were very distinctive of Amelia Earhart's aircraft.

- [Linda] They used an underwater drone with sonar mapping capability.

- [Tony] The the technology that we used was a Hugin 6000.

There's only a handful of them in the world, and the 6000 means 6,000 meters, so it can go all the way down to full ocean depth with a 6,000 meters to the bottom of the ocean and then basically flies like a drone back and forth, scanning the sea floor for anything interesting.

- [Linda] Romeo and his team plan to return to the area soon to confirm that the object is in fact Earhart's plane, while also looking into the possibility of bringing it to the surface.

- Thanks for that report, Linda.

Ohio is known as the birthplace of aviation.

Ohio is home to the International Air and Space Museum and many pioneering women aviators.

Ohioans served as Women Air Force Service Pilots, or WASPs for short, in the World War II military experimental training program designed to train women to fly military aircraft.

In more modern times, Ohio women have participated in NASA space initiatives and flights.

Mary tells us about Ohio's female pilots who have reached new heights in today's Know Ohio.

(upbeat country music) - There is just something in the air in Ohio.

Well, this is the birthplace of aviation, so that something is probably an airplane.

And the Buckeye State claims many famous aviators from Eddie Rickenbacker, the famous ace of World War I, to astronaut John Glenn, but today, we're going to talk about some true fly girls, women pilots who proved the sky is not the limit.

When you think of female pilots, you probably think of Amelia Earhart, but it was an Ohioan, Jerrie Mock, who became the first female pilot to fly solo around the world back in 1964.

Mock who developed an interest in flying as a child flew a single-engine plane dubbed the Spirit of Columbus for 29 days straight.

The trip began and ended in Columbus, Ohio, close to where Mock grew up.

But even before Mock, Ohio's female pilots were reaching new heights.

Many of them found their calling during World War II through an experimental program that trained women to fly military aircraft.

They were called Women Air Force Service Pilots or WASPs, and many Ohioans filled these positions like Marie Barrett Marsh, whose passion for flying and desire to serve her country led her to leave her life in Youngstown to train as a WASP in Texas.

Another WASP, Jean Hixson of Akron, later became the second woman to break the down barrier, which she did over Lake Erie.

But Hixson wanted to go even higher, so she became part of another experiment, Project Mercury, which tested 13 American women to become the first astronauts, reasoning that women, who are generally smaller and eat less than men, would make the most efficient astronauts.

Although Hixson passed every test required and was determined to be the best of the group, NASA decided it would go against the social order of the time to send women into space.

Although Hixson never made it to space, she certainly blazed a trail for those who did, like astronauts, Nancy Currie and Sunita Williams.

And today you can learn all about these high-flying women and so many more I didn't mention at the International Women's Air and Space Museum located right here in downtown Cleveland.

- Thanks, Mary.

I've been to that museum and it's super cool.

Okay, now for my favorite part of the show.

It's time to give out the A+ Award for the week.

If you remember way back in episode four of this year, we introduced you to Aarit, the Ohio Civics Bee champion.

Aarit taught us that it's really important to be engaged in your community so you can use your leadership to make a difference.

Well, this week we're going to tell you about a group of high school students all from Akron City Schools who have been selected by their teachers and peers to represent the student body on the Akron School Board, and their work has earned them this week's A+ Award.

Scholar Voices focuses on engaging scholars representing all of Akron's high schools to develop programs and help to use their perspective to improve the school district.

We were able to catch up with Piper, an 11th grader, and Milan, a 12th grader, at Ellet Community Learning Center.

Milan told us that he's really proud of the work he's doing.

He knows that by using his leadership skills, he can really make a difference for his classmates.

Piper told us that she's really happy to be a part of the group as well.

She's new to Akron, having only moved to the city as a ninth grader.

Piper told us that her work has really helped her become a part of the city and her school.

At Firestone Community Learning Center, we were able to meet up with Whitman, a 10th grader, Darelle, a 12th grader, and Xyia an 11th grader.

Whitman told us that he's been focusing his work on transportation and making sure students have safe and efficient transportation to and from school.

Darelle told us that he's focused on sustainability and he's even working on a research project focused on coral reefs.

He's even working with the newly-elected mayor on climate issues.

Xyia told us that she focuses a lot of her work on the nonprofit organization she started called Limitless Dreams.

The organization works with disabled athletes and helps them find opportunities to train and compete.

The last student we met was Kaysie at Akron Early College High School.

She told us that she's been able to develop her networking skills as a member of the Scholar's Voice Program.

She also told us that she's been able to give a few speeches to boards and at dinners, and she told us that being a leader has really helped her learn how to communicate her ideas and be more confident.

This week's A+ Award goes to the students representing Akron's High Schools in the Scholars Voice Program.

We're so impressed by their leadership inside and outside of their schools, and they're motivated by the determination to make their schools and community the best it can be.

Speaking of working hard, I bet NewsHound has been working all week to find us the best animal story.

Let's see what he has for this week's petting zoo.

(upbeat drum music) (dog barking) Hey there, NewsHound.

Wow, you look very professional today.

Nice tie.

I like to see you take your job very seriously.

Well, what did you find for us today?

Oh, I see, a story about dozens of green sea turtles being released into the Gulf of Mexico after being cold stunned.

To check it out, you can watch the full story on our website or YouTube channel.

Thanks, NewsHound.

Okay, now that's a wrap for this week's episode, but you know, we always want to hear from you, and there are plenty of ways you can stay in touch with us.

You can write to us, we're at 1375 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, and our zip code here is 44115.

Or you can email us at NewsDepth@ideastream.org.

Plus you can catch all of our special segments on YouTube.

Hit subscribe if you're old enough so you don't miss out on any of our new videos.

Thanks for joining us.

I'm Ygal Kaufman, and we'll see you right back here next week.

(upbeat music) - [Kid] "NewsDepth" is made possible by a grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation.