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How ZYN's Social Media Strategy is Driving Teen Nicotine Addiction

Release Date: 08/26/2024

Why School Safety Experts Want Phone Bans

The Screenagers Podcast

In this thought-provoking episode, Dr. Delaney dives into a question that sparks debate among educators, parents, and safety experts: Is it safer for students to have their phones during a school lockdown, or could it do more harm than good? To tackle this complex topic, Dr. Ruston speaks with a school superintendent, two police officers, and Clayton Cranford, a retired school resource officer and founder of Total Safety Solutions. Cranford, who works with schools across the country to improve safety protocols, brings a wealth of real-world experience to the conversation. Our guests describe...

Kids Using AI Chatbots: The Risks Parents Can’t Ignore

The Screenagers Podcast

Host Dr. Delaney interviews Natalie Foos, director of VoiceBox and lead author of the eye-opening report, “Coded Companions: Young People’s Relationships with AI Chat Bots." The discussion centers on the risks posed by AI chatbots in young people's lives, using examples like Snapchat’s My AI and the AI companion app Replika. The report provides concrete examples of deeply troubling things the AIs said to users during testing, conducted with young adults aged 18 to 24. They discuss concerning features, such as how My AI uses location tracking to target young users with ads and emphasize...

The Sleep Crisis: Addressing Melatonin and Tech as Sleep Aids

The Screenagers Podcast

In this episode of the Screenagers podcast, Dr. Delaney explores the alarming rise of sleep deprivation among teens starting in 2012, coinciding with the rise of screen time. Featuring clips from Screenagers: Elementary School Age Edition and insights from experts Lauren Hale, PhD, and Judith Owens, MD, the episode delves into new brain science around kids and sleep deprivation and health risks linked to melatonin. Listeners are provided practical advice on how to promote healthy sleep habits, including preventing dependency to digital devices and melatonin. Time Codes: 00:00...

Tackling Problematic Social Media Use

The Screenagers Podcast

In this episode, host Dr. Delaney discusses problematic social media use with therapist and media addiction expert Tracy Markle. Tracy is the founder and co-director of the Digital Media Treatment and Education Center in Boulder, Colorado. Tracy explains the critical effects social media can have on teen mental health, particularly in girls and shares the therapeutic approaches she used in working with one teen girl in overcoming problematic social media. Markle employs a family system approach and shares insights on how she included the mom in the treatment approach. Resources: ,...

How to Delay Social Media and Smartphone Use With Wait Until 8th

The Screenagers Podcast

Founder of the "Wait Until 8th" movement, Brooke Shannon, joins Dr. Delaney Ruston for a conversation. Brooke shares insights on the Wait Until 8th pledge, its community-based approach, and strategies for parents to manage digital exposure responsibly. The conversation also covers personal experiences, handling pushbacks, and practical steps for parents who have already given their kids smartphones and/or social media but decide they want to rein in their use. Time Code: 00:00 Introduction to Screenagers Podcast 00:31 Introducing Brooke Shannon and Wait Until 8th 02:47 How...

Instagram Unfiltered: Teens Tell All (Encore)

The Screenagers Podcast

In recent days, Instagram has launched a range of new features designed to protect teens who are using the platform. Today we revisit this episode of the Screenagers podcast where Dr. Ruston spoke with three teen girls from middle school, high school, and college about their experiences, both good and bad, with Instagram. They discuss why they joined the platform, how they use it, and the types of content they see, including ads and influencer posts. The conversation delves into the emotional impact of social media, including issues of comparison, curated posts, and the prevalence of ads. In...

Parenting Tips from Screenagers: Elementary School Age Edition

The Screenagers Podcast

In this episode of the Screenagers podcast, physician/filmmaker Dr. Delaney Ruston gives some parenting highlights from her new movie Screenagers: Elementary School Edition. Key topics include handling meltdowns during screen time transitions, promoting open communication around social media, and mitigating the negative impacts of violent media. Practical parenting strategies and the importance of active mediation are emphasized, alongside insights from child psychologist Lizz Dexter-Mazza, PsyD, and media researcher and psychologist Doug Gentile, PhD. 00:00 Introduction and Personal...

How ZYN's Social Media Strategy is Driving Teen Nicotine Addiction

The Screenagers Podcast

There was JUUL. Now there is ZYN. Big Tobacco is continuing to make its business model addiction, and its customer base teens and young adults. In today’s episode, Dr. Delaney Ruston talks with Dr. Robert Jackler, an expert on how Big Tobacco targets teens with slick and deceptive advertising and misleading products. Dr. Jackler, a professor at Stanford, talks about ZYN, the small flavored nicotine pouches that are going viral on social media. Created as a so-called safer means of harm reduction for vapes and cigarettes, ZYN packs a powerful punch of nicotine, making them just as harmful....

How Smartphones Are Pushing Schools to Breaking Point

The Screenagers Podcast

In this episode of The Screenagers Podcast Dr. Delaney Ruston is joined by her film and Screenagers partner, Lisa Tabb, to discuss their '' campaign, which aims to remove smartphones and smartwatches from students during school hours to improve their academic and social well-being. They explore the campaign's benefits, the rapid rise of this challenge in elementary schools, and myths surrounding phone policies. Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, author of the current NY Times bestselling book , also joins Delaney to discuss the negative impact of digital distractions on education. The...

How A Teen Run Instagram Account Shook a School (Encore)

The Screenagers Podcast

We're revisiting this poignant episode that highlights how important it is for parents to regularly check-in with their kids about their online activity and behaviors. Dr. Delaney Ruston interviews journalist Dashka Slater about her book, Accountable, where she writes about the true story of a social media account run by a small group of teens who posted racist memes. The account spread quickly and got edgier as it went. The book follows the account’s profound effect on the teens, friends, and high school. Slater dives into issues like what compels teens to do things they know are out of...

More Episodes

There was JUUL. Now there is ZYN. Big Tobacco is continuing to make its business model addiction, and its customer base teens and young adults.

In today’s episode, Dr. Delaney Ruston talks with Dr. Robert Jackler, an expert on how Big Tobacco targets teens with slick and deceptive advertising and misleading products.

Dr. Jackler, a professor at Stanford, talks about ZYN, the small flavored nicotine pouches that are going viral on social media. Created as a so-called safer means of harm reduction for vapes and cigarettes, ZYN packs a powerful punch of nicotine, making them just as harmful.

Dr. Jackler, who conducted research on pouch nicotine for the World Health Organization, shares how ZYN is being deceptively marketed to teens, how they lead to nicotine addiction, and what parents and teens can do to help those who are hooked.

This episode is intended for adult and youth audiences.

Featured Expert

Dr. Robert Jackler

Research References

Stanford Research into The Impact of Tobacco Advertisin

Additional Links

Quit The Hit

Hope Lab

UCSF Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education

Truth Initiative: This Is Quitting

Time Code

00:00 The Rise of Nicotine Addiction