Episode 35 | From Scrolling to Cyberbullying: How Social Media Is Impacting Our Kids | Drew Cingel, Associate Professor & Researcher at UC Davis

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In this week's pivotal episode of "What Nobody Tells Us," we confront the digital elephant in the room: the complex relationship between our children and the behemoth that is social media. As parents, guardians, and mentors, we grapple with questions that keep us up at night: When should our children get their first phone? How do we protect them from predators on the internet? And what about the unseen impacts of social media on their developing minds?

Joining me is Drew Cingel, an award-winning associate professor and researcher from UC Davis' Department of Communication. Drew's area of research examines how human development influences how individuals use media, and how media use influences human development, specifically child and adolescent development. Specifically, he studies the effects of social media on adolescent social-emotional development, children’s learning from media, including television and tablet computers, and the influence of media on child and adolescent moral reasoning. His work has been published in journals such as New Media & Society, Media Psychology, Journal of Media Psychology, Computers in Human Behavior, and the Journal of Children and Media. He has also received funding from the Television Academy, Arts and Sciences Foundation.

Drew and I navigate the treacherous waters of cyberbullying, body image, privacy breaches, and the predatory behaviors lurking behind seemingly innocent quizzes. But it's not all doom and gloom; Drew also highlights the empowering side of social media, where underrepresented voices find community and solace. We examine the regulatory safeguards other countries have implemented and how we might follow suit.

This episode is a wake-up call, a guide, and a beacon of hope, all rolled into one. It's a conversation that could redefine the way you and your family interact with the digital world. So, whether you're a parent to a toddler or a teenager, or simply someone who cares about the future of our society, this is an episode you need to hear.

References:

• Drew's Published Research
• UC Davis' Media Lab 
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Episode Guide:

(00:00) This episode is for parents of adolescent youth with questions about social media
(04:36) Drew talks about the social media impact on our kids
(05:16) Professor David Katz directs human development and media lab at UC Davis
(08:00) There are negative correlations between social media use and aspects of mental health
(12:05) I want to explore the idea of social media addiction, because addiction obviously can
(13:06) Even through adolescence, individuals have not developed self regulation on social media
(16:02) Social media can help adolescents achieve developmental goals when used in a healthy manner
(18:56) The modeling of the behavior is huge. So if we're modeling that behavior for our children
(22:34) Social media can move adolescents toward feeling less socially connected and lonely
(24:04) Study of fake 716 year olds with poor mental health using algorithms
(29:40) Something interesting happened to me on Twitter last week
(30:49) In South Korea, there are some notable differences in social media regulations
(36:12) Media in general tends to negatively influence body image among both males and females
(41:07) Have you seen any positive impact on social media due to pushing back against perfection trends
(45:30) How prevalent is cyberbullying on social media platforms amongst youth
(47:31) Long term effects of cyberbullying on a child's mental health are unclear
(54:12) There is evidence linking social media use to negative impacts on school performance
(57:05) I do want to talk about the positive aspects of developing community within social media
(01:01:59) Social media has made the world so much smaller and in a really good way
(01:03:58) What privacy risks are children and teenagers facing when using social media
(01:07:35) Last week I saw a set of quizzes that could be used by hackers
(01:09:05) What are things that we can do to keep our children safe online