Social Media

Former Democratic presidential candidate and entrepreneur Andrew Yang wants to see technology and media companies accept more responsibility for their impact on children, even if we don’t yet have research showing exactly what that impact is. Yang, in particular, calls for the government to drastically fund more research and step in, if needed, to incentivize tech companies to educate children, rather than entertain them and  collect ad dollars. (The children’s digital advertising market is expected to be worth $1.7 billion by 2021, according to a report from PwC.)

“Right now, the interests of parents are directly at odds with the interests of the technology companies,” writes Yang in “Our Kids are Walking Around with Slot Machines in their Pockets.” “They’re monetizing our attention and profiting off of our time. As they say, the addictive nature of smartphones is a feature, not a bug. We parents are outgunned and at a total loss.”

As quarantine boredom sinks to new lows, kids are turning to random-video-chat platforms like Omegle to see what other bored kids are doing. But it's not recommended. Omegle is a website that pairs random visitors through video and text chat and has spiked in popularity over the last four months. The site is similar to the once wildly popular Chatroulette, which is also experiencing a renaissance of sorts, in that it is free, requires no registration, and promises a surprising social experience. Visitors can submit keywords to filter for people with shared interests. Those in college can enter a .edu email address, which the site uses for verification to find other students. There is also, predictably, an “adult” section. But as the site disclaims, predators and bullies has been known to use the platform and recommends that no one under 13 use the service. Keep this in mind if you hear your kids mention this app so you can monitor their use and remind them about not giving away any personal information - especially during a video chat. They could unintentionally be giving away personal information simply by being in a room with pictures in the background or other clues to their whereabouts, their family, their school or other personal information.

The researchers at Common Sense Media have been examining existing studies on kids and mental health and found that, with a few exceptions, we need to look beyond screens and social media for the causes of mental health problems. Check out this video of their findings. They also advise that we should reframe our perspective on digital tools—especially during a pandemic—if we're going to support our kids through this strange phase in our lives. To that end they give six tips for protecting kids' mental health right now. They suggest that it may ne time to recognize that kids may need to enter social media at a younger age just to stay in touch with friends. They also recommend reserving judgement about screen time, keeping in mind that what kids are doing online is more important than the time they spend with digital devices. Beyond these recommendations, it seems most experts are in agreement that more research is necessary.

The recent fast-spreading cryptocurrency scam involving the Twitter accounts of major companies and individuals, including former President Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Apple, is "small potatoes compared with the much worse things a malefactor could do with access to Twitter's highest profile accounts," such as President Donald Trump's, writes Ina Fried. Twitter attributed the breach to a "coordinated social engineering attack" on its own employees that enabled the hackers to access "internal systems and tools." If there was ever a reason to chat with your kids about vetting online posts, this is a good one.

Chances are very good that you have heard of the video sharing app called TikTok and have maybe even bonded with your kids over the choreographed dances featured on the app during the lockdown. The video-sharing app has become so popular, it's made everyone from parents to President Trump nervous – that latter because of its possible connections to China. What makes it a rare social media platform though, is that it is more about laughs than politics. If  you don’t know much about the app you may want to check out this primer on the Common Sense Media site called the Parent’s Ultimate Guide to TikTok.

Although some influencers and celebrities have come under fire for tone deaf posts during the pandemic, a study by United Talent Agency Marketing reveals 60% of consumers are following more celebrities and influencers during the outbreak and 61% don't mind celebrity content that's produced in collaboration with a brand. The research also found brands using celebrity influencers on Instagram experienced a1.5 times lift in traffic this year compared with 2019.

Here are some factoids that might highlight the ballooning issue of disinformation for you: Facebook took down 3 billion fake accounts in 2019. 3 billion. One study suggested that 15% of Twitter’s 330 million monthly users are bots. Bots have a massive multiplier effect on disinformation because they are far more prolific than humans, tweeting hundreds of times a day. Some studies estimate that more than 60% of Trump’s 80+ million followers are bots.

People often talk about how we should be worried about Russian trolls on social media sites and Twitter, but the fact is that it is domestic disinformation that is running rampant. Americans are intentionally feeding other Americans with wrong or factually inaccurate information about Covid-19, the George Floyd demonstrations and other conspiracy theories, and we are going to see much more as the election approaches.

As a parent, what can you do to help your kids navigate all of this “fake news”? First we need to recognize that many conspiracy theories are very seductive. We often want to go along with that particular explanation because it goes along with our own (sometimes hidden) prejudices and biases. Second, you and your kids need to learn to vet information and not to be satisfied with what comes up as one of the first few entries in a web search. Be prepared to search and read different viewpoints on a topic to get at the facts.

A recent study conducted by OpenX and The Harris Poll points to shifting consumer sentiment regarding social media platforms. The study found 61% of respondents first use the web browsers like Google to discover "high-quality content," while 31% first turn to major platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Compared to last year, 31% say they use Facebook less, while 26% say they'll decrease their Facebook time going forward.

While some research is showing that children and younger people are less likely to have their health impacted by the coronavirus, experts expect they will experience indirect health care-related effects such as missed detection of delayed health development milestones, widespread omissions of routine childhood vaccinations and delays in seeking care for illnesses not related to the virus, researchers reported in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.  In addition to these indirect health risks, the findings also showed that social and mental health could see an impact from pandemic-related factors as well, including reductions in support for children with supplemental health care needs; lost social interaction leading to increased screen time; school cancellations that may worsen food insecurity; and forced isolation and increased screen addiction.

For parents, this is probably common knowledge by now, but the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing lockdown has had a significant effect on Gen Z's digital behaviors. According to a report issued by Boston Consulting Group and Snapchat, there has been a boost in Generation Z’s use of social media, video streaming and gaming, as well as an increase in online spending. Their report also highlights Gen Z's increased reliance on mobile-focused video and social platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat.