parental controls

Congress and state legislators are considering laws to restrict teen social media use, and school districts are suing social media companies for harming kids’ mental health. Are parents and policy makers right to be so concerned? Jacqueline Nesi, PhD, of Brown University, talks about the research on social media and teens’ mental health, whether it’s possible to be addicted to social media, what teens themselves think about social media, and what parents can do to help their kids use social media in a healthy way.

For transcripts, links and more information, please visit the Speaking of Psychology Homepage.

Today we're joined by Brian Montgomery, a father from Mississippi who lost his 16-year-old son Walker to suicide last December after Walker was the victim of an online "sextortion" scam. "Sextortion" is a form of blackmail where someone threatens to share a nude or sexually explicit picture or video of the victim unless the predator’s demands are met, and often teenage boys are the targets. While this is obviously the most horrifying thing that can happen to one's child, Brian walks us through how he and his wife found their son the next morning and how they uncovered what actually happened to him. We discuss why all parents need to be aware of evil scams like this one, even if their kids don't show problematic behavior, and Brian explains why he finds it important to share Walker's story. We also talk about how the Montgomerys have processed what happened and clung to their faith. --- Timecodes: (00:59) Interview with Brian begins / about his family (04:38) No warnings (07:45) Finding Walker (14:54) Finding out what happened (29:55) Allowing children to be alone with a phone (34:44) Criminal liability & similar stories (37:27) Warning your kids about this (41:23) Male and female blind spots (44:20) Coping --- Today's Sponsors: Seven Weeks Coffee — Seven Weeks is a pro-life coffee company with a simple mission: DONATE 10% of every sale to pregnancy care centers across America. Get your organically farmed and pesticide-free coffee at sevenweekscoffee.com and let your coffee serve a greater purpose. Use the promo code 'ALLIE' to save 10% off your order. Epic Will — be intentional about your family, your values and your wishes. Go to EpicWill.com/ALLIE and you’ll save 10% on your complete Will package. Naturally It's Clean — visit https://naturallyitsclean.com/allie and use promo code "ALLIE" to receive 15% off your order. If you are an Amazon shopper you can visit https://amzn.to/3IyjFUJ. The promo code discount is only valid on their direct website at www.naturallyitsclean.com/Allie. --- Links: FBI AND PARTNERS ISSUE NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY ALERT ON FINANCIAL SEXTORTION SCHEMES: https://www.justice.gov/usao-vi/pr/fbi-and-partners-issue-national-public-safety-alert-financial-sextortion-schemes --- Buy Allie's book, You're Not Enough (& That's Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love: https://alliebethstuckey.com/book Relatable merchandise – use promo code 'ALLIE10' for a discount: https://shop.blazemedia.com/collections/allie-stuckey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Across the U.S., kids as young as 13 are being employed to do everything from packaging cereal to cleaning meatpacking plants. Many are migrants who came into the U.S. without their parents and were driven to work out of desperation. Now, lawmakers want to push for change. The story has us shaking our heads. Plus, is it OK to order the same dish as your spouse? Our hosts dive into a lively food debate.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

• • “Lawmakers Clamor for Action on Child Migrant Labor as Outrage Grows” from The New York Times

• • “Alone and Exploited, Migrant Children Work Brutal Jobs Across the U.S.” from The New York Times

• • “Biden Awards Medal of Honor to Black Vietnam Veteran” from The New York Times

• • “Walgreens won’t sell abortion pills in some states where they’re legal” from The Washington Post

• • “Alaska’s Fisheries Are Collapsing” from Politico

• • Snow in the Southern California mountains from The Los Angeles Times

• • “TikTok expanding time limits on app” from Axios

• • “The FTC Is Readying a Crackdown on Online Therapy” from Futurism

• • “The products we buy are shrinking, and so is the value” from Marketplace

• • “The Bidens ordered the same dish at a restaurant — and the internet has thoughts” from Today

• • “It’s Fine to Order the Same Dish as Your Spouse” from Josh Barro

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We asked listeners to send in all their questions related to cybersecurity for this special Vergecast Hotline episode. David Pierce talks to Nilay Patel and Russell Brandom to get you the best advice for staying safe online. Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we'd love to hear from you. We are conducting a short audience survey to help plan for our future and hear from you. To participate, head to vox.com/podsurvey, and thank you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices