THIS.

>>> WITH THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR JUST ABOUT HERE, KIDS WILL HAVE A LOT MORE TIME ON THEIR HANDS, WHICH CAN OFTEN MEAN MORE SCREEN TIME.

SURGEON GENERAL RECENTLY ISSUED A WARNING SAYING SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENTS A "PROFOUND RISK OF HARM TO KIDS' MENTAL HEALTH."

CALLING ON FAMILIES TO SET LIMITS FOR USE AND LAWMAKERS TO REQUIRE TOUGHER STANDARDS FOR PLATFORMS.

JOINING US WITH MORE IS DEVORA, THE AUTHOR OF SCREENWISE AND BOOK GROWING UP IN PUBLIC, IN AN AGE OF THE WORLD AND COMING UP IN SEPTEMBER.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

SO DATA SHOWS THAT SUICIDAL IDEATION HAS GROWN SINCE THE PANDEMIC AND FEELINGS OF SADNESS AND HOPELESSNESS IN YOUNG PEOPLE INCREASING ABOUT 40%.

HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK SOCIAL MEDIA IS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS?

>> WE NEED TO LOOK AT ALL OF THE THINGS KIDS ARE FACING, ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION, SHOOTINGS AT SCHOOLS.

SOCIAL MEDIA MAY BE A VEHICLE KIDS ARE LEARNING ABOUT THESE THINGS, BUT NOT THE ONLY REASON KIDS ARE STRUGGLING.

IT ALSO MAY BE A REASON WE KNOW KIDS ARE STRUGGLING BECAUSE IT'S WHERE KIDS ARE TALKING ABOUT MENTAL HEADLIGHT, WHICH IS A GOOD THING.

>> GIVEN THE CURRENT SITUATION, DO YOU AGREE SOCIAL MEDIA NEEDS TO BE VIEWED AS A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS?

>> I THINK CRISIS IS A LITTLE BIT PANIC INDUCING.

I DO THINK PARENTS WANT TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE WAYS WE ARE TEACHING KIDS ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA, WHO ARE THEY FOLLOWING, DO THEY UNDERSTAND THEIR EFFECTS ON MENTAL HEALTH AND AWARE OF THE ALGORITHM AND THE TOXIC CONTENT THAT CAN COME UP AND THE COMPANIES THAT MAKE SOCIAL APPS NEED TO DO A BETTER JOB RESPONDING TO COMPLAINTS ABOUT CONTENT, WHETHER THAT'S BULLYING OR HARASSMENT, ET CETERA.

>> THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF TIME KIDS USE MEDIA, THREE AND A HALF HOURS A DAY, REPORTS SAY DOING IT MORE THAN 3 HOURS A DAY INCREASES DEPRESSION AMONG TEENS.

IS THAT ALARMING FOR YOU.

>> WE NEED TO LOOK AT WHAT ARE KIDS LOSING ON WHEN ON SOCIAL MEDIA?

ARE THEY NOT MOVING THEIR BODIES AND NO FACE TO FACE INTERACTION, BUT WHAT DO WE DO TO MAKE SURE KIDS ARE HANGING OUT, OR IF THEY DON'T HAVE MONEY, IS THERE A PUBLIC LIBRARY?

IS THERE PLACES TO GO THAT ARE SAFE AND WELCOMING, ARE WE DOING ENOUGH IN SCHOOLS TO MAKE SCHOOLS A GOOD PLACE, WHEN THEY ARE CUTTING DOWN ON RECESS.

I DON'T THINK IT'S JUST THAT SOCIAL MEDIA IS ALWAYS THE CATALYST FOR THIS, BUT I DO THINK WE WANT TO LOOK AT WHAT ARE KIDS MISSING OUT ON IF THEY ARE SPEND SPENDING THREE AND 1/2 HOURS ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

>> MANY USING SOCIAL MEDIA, NEARLY HALF OF TEENS SAY SOCIAL MEDIA MAKES THEM FEEL WORSE ABOUT THEIR BODY IMAGE.

IS IT PARTICULARLY HARMFUL FOR GIRLS.

>> IT CAN BE FOR ANY KIDS, WE WANT TO EXCLUSIVELY TEACH KIDS EXERCISE AND DIET CONTENT IS TOXIC.

SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE TALK TO KIDS ABOUT THE ALGORITHM AND WHO THEY ARE FOLLOWING AND FOLLOW THOSE THAT ARE BODY POSITIVE OR BODY AFFIRMATIVE AND FOLLOW ONLY YOUR FRIENDS AND NOT INFLUENCERS BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE THAT CHALLENGE CAN COME IN.

I THINK THERE ARE GIRL SPECIFIC AND BOY SPECIFIC CHALLENGES WE CAN TALK ABOUT AND THE WAYS THAT SOCIAL MEDIA CAN SUPPORT TOXIC MASCULINITY AND MISOGYNY, WE SHOULD TALK TO KIDS FOR SURE.

>> AND CALLING FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY.

WHAT STEPS WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THOSE COMPANIES TAKE TO PROTECT TEENAGERS.

>> I THINK THEY SHOULD LOOK AT CIRCULATION OF MISINFORMATION, ANY CONTENT THAT PROMOTES EATING DISORDERS OR SELF-HARM, CONTENT THAT SUPPORTS SUBSTANCE ABUSE ON KIDS OR ANY OF US.

THE PROBLEM IS PROFIT MODE GOES AGAINST TAKING DOWN CONTENT THAT IS HARMFUL OR THAT IS JUST RAGE INDUCING AS WELL.

WE KNOW THE ALGORITHMS FAVOR RAGE AND MASHING ON THE BUTTONS AND PEOPLE GETTING IN CONFLICT WITH OTHERS.

AND THE LIKE BUTTONS, THEY MAKE US HUMAN.

THOSE FACTORS DO NEED TO LOOK AND WHEN THEY ARE MAKING THE DIFFERENCES, THEY ARE LAYING OUT THOSE THAT MAY BE REPORTING BULLYING OR HARASSMENT.

WE NEED TO GET CONTENT TAKEN DOWN IF IT'S HARMFUL.

>> BEFORE WE LET YOU GO, SOME OF THE POSITIVE USES REMIND US SOME OF THE WAYS THAT IT CAN BE GOOD FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.

>> SOCIAL MEDIA CAN BE A PLACE WHERE KIDS CAN FIND OTHER KIDS TO CONNECT WITH, WHETHER THAT'S KIDS IN THE LGBTQ PLUS COMMUNITIES OR KIDS IN OTHER COMMUNITIES, LIKE THE NEURO DIVERSE COMMUNITIES, KIDS WITH ADHD OR AUTISM, AS WELL AS ADULTS.

PEOPLE ARE FINDING COMMUNITY IN PLACES LIKE THIS, DISCORD AND TICK TOCK.

WE DO NEED TO LOOK AT THE BENEFITS AND AFFINITY PEOPLE ARE FINDING THERE, AS WELL AS THE HARMS, LIKE YOU MENTIONED, SLEEP.

IF I HAD DIANE AS A PARENT, I THINK SLEEP IS CRUCIAL, ESPECIALLY FOR GROWING KIDS.

ALREADY IN THE SLEEP DEFICIT.

I WOULD SAY TAKING THE PHONE AT NIGHT OR MAKING SURE KIDS UNPLUG AT NIGHT TO GET THEIR SLEEP WOULD BE A HUGE STEP FOR A LOT OF FAMILIES.

>> AND FAMILIES ARE WANTING