Youth Mental Health/exploitation & Tools to Prevent Harms
- Marquez-Garrett, L. (2023, Sep 5), The (Revised) Kids Online Safety Act protects LGBTQ+ Youth, https://www.losangelesblade.com/2023/09/05/the-revised-kids-online-safety-act-protects-lgbtq-youth/
- Geschu, M. (2023, Aug 24), How big tech exploits the LGBTQ+ community to avoid regulation, Washington Blade, https://www.washingtonblade.com/2023/08/24/opinion-big-tech-lgbtq/
- Hewett, H. (2023, June 9), Why we should ban smartphones in schools, The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/06/09/ban-smartphones-k12-schools/
- Haidt, J. (2023, June 6), Get Phones Out of Schools Now, The Atlantic, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/06/ban-smartphones-phone-free-schools-social-media/674304/
- U.S. Public Health Service (2023, May 23), Social Media and Youth Mental Health, The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory, https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/youth-mental-health/social-media/index.html
- Pearson, C. & Richtel, M. (2023, May 23) Social Media Can Be a 'Profound Risk' to Youth, Surgeon General Warns, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/23/well/family/social-media-mental-health-surgeon-general.html
- Doucleff, M. (2023, April 25), The Truth About Teens, Social Media and the Mental Health Crisis, NPR, https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/04/25/1171773181/social-media-teens-mental-health
- Bronstein, R. (2023, April 13), An Open Letter to Snap, Inc. Founder & CEO on Putting Profits Above Children’s Safety, Medium.com, https://medium.com/@RoseBronstein/an-open-letter-to-snap-inc-founder-ceo-on-putting-profits-above-childrens-safety-b907d07775a7
- Vogels, E., & Gelles-Watnick, R. (2023, April 24), Teens and social media: Key findings from Pew Research Center surveys, Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/24/teens-and-social-media-key-findings-from-pew-research-center-surveys/
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2023), LGBTQI+ Youth, Stopbullying.gov, https://www.stopbullying.gov/bullying/lgbtq (accessed June 8, 2023)
- Nesi, J., Mann, S. and Robb, M.S. (2023), Teens and Mental Health: How girls really feel about social media; Common Sense, San Francisco, CA
- St George, D. (2023, Mar 30), TikTok is addictive for many girls, especially those with depression, The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/03/30/social-media-girls-teens-depression-tiktok/
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2023, Feb 13), Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Data Summary and Trends Report 2011-2021, https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/YRBS_Data-Summary-Trends_Report2023_508.pdf
- Gordon, A & Brown P. (2023, Jan 29), Surgeon General Says 13 too Young for Social Media, CNN, https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/29/health/surgeon-general-social-media/index.html
- Johnson, G. (2023, Jan 8), Seattle schools sue tech giants over social media harm, Associated Press, https://apnews.com/article/social-media-seattle-lawsuits-mental-health-965a8f373e3bfed8157571912cc3b542
- Chang, E. (2022, Dec 16), Cyberbullying affects almost half of American teens. Parents may be unaware, The Washington Post, https://wapo.st/3j3Y6R6
- Vogels, E. (2022, Dec 15), Teens and Cyberbullying 2022, Pew Research Center, https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/12/15/teens-and-cyberbullying-2022/
- Gelles-Watnick, R. (2022, Dec 15), Explicit Content, Time-wasting Are Key Social Media Worries for Parents of U.S. Teens. Pew Research Center, https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/12/15/explicit-content-time-wasting-are-key-social-media-worries-for-parents-of-u-s-teens/
- Strauss, V. (2022, Dec 13), News literacy lessons: ‘Shark Week,’ Stephen Curry video, toxic social media, https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/12/17/news-literacy-sharkweek-curry-socialmedia/
- Barrett D, (2022, Nov 30), Poison pill: How fentanyl killed a 17-year-old, The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/11/30/fentanyl-fake-pills-social-media/
- Southern Poverty Law Center-American University (2022, Nov 17), Building Networks
& Addressing Harm: A Community Guide to Online Youth Radicalization Resources for Trusted Adults, Mentors & Community Leaders, https://www.splcenter.org/sites/default/files/splc-peril-addressing-harm-community-guide.pdf
- Meaker, M. (2022, Oct 3), How A British Teen's Death Changed Social Media, Wired, https://www.wired.com/story/how-a-british-teens-death-changed-social-media/
- Crawford, A. & Bell, B. (2022, Sep 30), Molly Russell inquest: Father makes social media plea, BBC News, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-63073489
- Milmo, D. (2022, Sep 29), Molly Russell inquest must lead to action on internet dangers, says coroner, The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/sep/29/molly-russell-inquest-must-lead-to-action-on-internet-dangers-says-coroner
- Lorenz, T. (2022, Sep 23), The online incel movement is getting more violent and extreme, report says, The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/22/incels-rape-murder-study/, editors note: this article documents the movement's support of child rape, https://counterhate.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/CCDH-The-Incelosphere..pdf
- Quant Lab at CCDH (2022, The Incelosphere- Exposing pathways into incel communities and the harms they pose to women and children, Center for Countering Digital Hate, https://counterhate.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/CCDH-The-Incelosphere..pdf
- King, J. (2022, Sep15), A Bill Designed to Protect Kids Could Change the Internet for the Better, Tech Technology Press, https://techpolicy.press/a-bill-designed-to-protect-kids-could-change-the-internet-for-the-better/
- Richtel, M. (2022, Aug 22), A Teen’s Journey Into the Internet’s Darkness and Back Again, New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/22/health/adolescents-mental-health-technology.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuomT1JKd6J17Vw1cRCfTTMQmqxCdw_PIxftm3iWka3DFDmwYiOQYCoyc-wDEaa1nasA40jKHX5pEPbkzTfg3zuJWO1BtDhWlqZuCn5ACLDRzqZ62Wil--aPxao0C0G2gaHileqA4zaejvhmCPX-5WKPV0XIkdhIypJIzaV39jiMXz_2TGvp-3NgujaoiA5x_RWsQdWLd6amTfhZ7Ot6NaBHe4hBnGL0KHGGOwqPPru4IYw5QClnZTXJg4mxa6NtUOt8fPK6XPAd3MYOlwu1XUjo0Wd_vU54hRIHUlKFouarNqnGPyMm3w_Y1FMZErTCeGJs7fP5LB5kRsoVJrqw&smid=url-share
- Fowler, G. (2022, June 9), Your kids’ apps are spying on them, The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/06/09/apps-kids-privacy/
- Mendez II, M. (2022, June 6), The Teens Slipping Through the Cracks on Dating Apps, The Atlantic, https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/06/teens-minors-using-dating-apps-grindr/661187/
- Castleberry, C. (2022, May 25), The Kids Are Not Alright: Addressing The Mental Health Crisis Impacting Our Youth; Parents, experts and young people shed light on why suicide rates for Black teens and young adults have been alarmingly high—even before the pandemic, Essence, https://www.essence.com/health-and-wellness/youth-mental-health-crisis/
- Marks, J. & Schaffer, A. (2022, May 25), Virtual learning compromised kids’ privacy and security, The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/05/25/virtual-learning-compromised-kids-privacy-security/
- Harwell, D. (2022, May 24), Remote learning apps shared children’s data at a ‘dizzying scale’, The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/05/24/remote-school-app-tracking-privacy/
- Williams, R. (2022, April 26), The US now hosts more child sexual abuse material online than any other country-Experts predict that without new legislation, the problem will only grow, MIT Technology Review, https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/04/26/1051282/the-us-now-hosts-more-child-sexual-abuse-material-online-than-any-other-country/
- Fairplay (2022, April), Designing for Disorder: Instagram’s Pro-eating Disorder Bubble, https://fairplayforkids.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/designing_for_disorder.pdf
- The LEGO Group (2022, April 25), GLOBAL ORGANISATIONS CALL FOR TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES TO PRIORITISE CHILDREN’S WELL-BEING, https://www.lego.com/en-gb/aboutus/news/2022/april/global-organisations-call-for-technology-companies-to-prioritise-children-s-well-being
- Internet Watch Foundation 2021 Annual Report on Online Child Sexual Abuse Material, https://annualreport2021.iwf.org.uk/
- Joseph, A. (2022, April 12), Driven by fentanyl, rates of fatal teen overdoses doubled in 2020, Stat, https://www.statnews.com/2022/04/12/driven-by-fentanyl-rates-of-fatal-teen-overdoses-doubled-in-2020/?utm_source=STAT+Newsletters&utm_campaign=c1baae03a5-Daily_Recap&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8cab1d7961-c1baae03a5-151146021
- Common Sense Media (2022, Feb 4), List of Social Media Harms, http://d2e111jq13me73.cloudfront.net/sites/default/files/featured-content/files/list_of_social_media_harms_formatted_edited.docx_.pdf?j=8777238&sfmc_sub=217737498&l=2048712_HTML&u=188941597&mid=6409703&jb=3009&utm_source=advocacy_nl_20220203&utm_medium=email
- Haidt, J. (2021, Nov 21). The Dangerous Experiment on Teen Girls, The Atlantic, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/11/facebooks-dangerous-experiment-teen-girls/620767/
- Wells, G., Horwitz, J. & Seetharaman, D. (2021, Sep 14), Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic for Teen Girls, Company Documents Show, The Wall Street Journal, https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-knows-instagram-is-toxic-for-teen-girls-company-documents-show-11631620739?mod=hp_lead_pos7&mod=article_inline
- Twenge, J. & Haidt, J. (2021, July 31), This is Our Chance to Pull Our Teens Out of the Smartphone Trap, New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/31/opinion/smartphone-iphone-social-media-isolation.html
- Bahrampour, T. (2021, July 20), Teens around the world are lonelier than a decade ago. The reason may be smartphones, The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/teens-loneliness-smart-phones/2021/07/20/cde8c866-e84e-11eb-8950-d73b3e93ff7f_story.html
- Caron, C. (2021, June 28), 8-Year-Olds in Despair: The Mental Health Crisis Is Getting Younger, New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/28/well/mind/mental-health-kids-suicide.html?searchResultPosition=1
- Cain, C., Criezis, M., Hughes, B, Miller-Idriss, C., Bates, L. (2021, June), Building Resilience & Confronting Risk: A Parents & Caregivers Guide to Online Radicalization, Southern Poverty Law Center & Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL), American University, Washington D.C. https://www.splcenter.org/peril
- Kristof, N. (2021, April 16), Why Do We Let Corporations Profit From Rape Videos?, New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/16/opinion/sunday/companies-online-rape-videos.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
- Fraga, J. (2021, Feb 26) Digital self Harm: What to do when Kids Cyberbully Themselves, https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/02/26/self-cyberbullying-digital-self-harm/
- The Redemption of Mohammed Khalid (2021, February 8), Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2021/02/08/redemption-of-mohammed-khalid/?arc404=true
- Kristof, N (2020, Dec 4) The Children of Pornhub, New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/04/opinion/sunday/pornhub-rape-trafficking.html
Suggestions for Parents and Caregivers
Engage and Empower Youth
- Listen to what children/youth are saying
- Ask Questions
- Advise youth/children to practice good internet safety
- Encourage youth/children to critically examine messages they receive
- Discuss the news in an age appropriate manner
Responses to Concerns
- Take It Seriously
- Create a Record - file reports with school and/or school district
- Discuss online safety and privacy practices
- Get help - VictimConnect Confidential Referrals for Online Victims, 855-484-2846 https://victimconnect.org/