Conference Presentation, Fireside Chat, Panel
Digital Media and Youth Mental Health | Global Conference 2024
Milken InstituteJacob Ward, Kenneth Cole, Bill Ready, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Ashwin Vasan, Sherrie Westin
- The school's smartphone pledge is expected to be refined to address mitigating circumstances in blended and single-parent households, while a "phone bowl" system in a Berkeley high school aims to incentivize voluntary phone surrender in exchange for academic credit.
- Dr. Roshni Vasan predicts a visible mental health crisis among young people characterized by emergency room visits, with data anticipated to consistently show a correlation between increased screen time and higher frequencies of anxiety, depression, and mental health conditions in teens and children.
- 90% of parents and teens are expected to desire uniform government action to counter the current digital environment, with Dr. Vasan citing New York City survey data as the basis for this sentiment.
- Similar to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration seatbelt regulations, government intervention is expected to define safe and unsafe levels of social media exposure, though Dr. Vasan anticipates the US will remain a regulatory outlier compared to mandates in China and Europe.
- Eric Schmidt expects the Kids Online Safety Act to pass and be signed into law within the current legislative session, serving as a necessary first step despite not being a panacea.
- Eric Schmidt projects the industry generates approximately one billion dollars annually from targeted ads to children, necessitating regulation and a "health revolution" to counter the current business model.
- The Mental Health Coalition is expected to release a new set of functional standards shortly, comprising five basic standards across 24 categories, which will be re-released for educators and legislators to use as a basis for legislation.
- A second phase of the Mental Health Coalition's work is anticipated to establish an implementation strategy, a rating system, and a mechanism to hold stakeholders accountable.
- Sherry Chen predicts Pinterest will achieve doubled user growth within a year, with Gen Z becoming the largest and fastest-growing demographic citing the platform as an oasis from toxicity.
- Sherry Chen expects social media platforms to eventually compete on safety standards and safety records similar to the automotive industry, moving beyond engagement-driven algorithms to maximize positive outcomes.
- Martha Minow anticipates that early interventions in a child's development will build necessary foundations to navigate digital challenges, potentially through digital well-being products and research established by partners like Sesame Street and Google.org.
- Caroline Hunter expects California investments in wellness counselors, trauma-informed training, and apps like Saluna and Bright Life to meet families where they are, alongside a family guide from Tech for Good to be released this month.
- Caroline Hunter anticipates that the governor's advisory council campaign "Move Your Body Calm Your Mind" will increase mindfulness and daily movement in schools, while a community school model aims to make mental health resources available to the wider community.
- Caroline Hunter expresses concern that without regulation, young girls face paths of self-harm due to cyberbullying, hate speech, and racism, while young boys are exposed to harmful stereotypes.
- Caroline Hunter expects the US to continue lagging due to capitalist interests if tech companies do not address design safety issues, whereas she believes more men are stepping into care even as women retain the mental load.
- Eric Schmidt expects tech platforms to continue prioritizing content agnostically due to algorithmic responses to user engagement, noting that without common standards, companies cannot concede on safety measures for fear of losing market share.
- Eric Schmidt anticipates a eventual industry desire for common standards to avoid a patchwork regulatory regime, as regulations will require time to shape the unregulated industry through the formal process.
- Caroline Hunter expects that if tech companies do not become more transparent and invest in safety, legislation will become necessary to counteract their current lack of accountability.
- Sherry Chen hopes to see a future where companies compete to exceed minimum safety standards rather than merely meeting them, and that platforms can be tuned to trigger positive outcomes rather than content that induces enragement.