Navigating Social Media and AI with Kids

In this episode of the Helping Families Be Happy Podcast, host Christopher Robbins speaks with award-winning author Jessica Spear about the critical challenges of social media and AI safety for teens and preteens. They discuss the irrefutable data showing how social media is negatively impacting youth mental health, the emerging concerns around AI companions and chatbots that teens are using for emotional support, and practical strategies parents can implement to protect their children. Jessica emphasizes the importance of ongoing conversations, coming from a place of curiosity rather than judgment, and creating family tech plans together. The discussion highlights that while technology offers benefits, current platforms lack adequate safety guardrails for young users, making parental engagement essential. Episode Highlights 00:00:10: Christopher introduces the podcast and welcomes guest, Jessica Spear, an award- winning author specializing in books for preteens and teens about friendships, safety, and technology use. 00:01:47: Jessica thanks Christopher for the introduction and expresses enthusiasm about tackling the important topic of social media and AI safety for young people. 00:01:56: Christopher praises Jessica's book "The Phone Book" and recommends it for every family with children who have smartphones. 00:02:03: Jessica explains that while her book is written for preteens and early teens, it's really for all families and encourages parents to read it alongside their children to facilitate conversations about navigating technology. 00:02:26: Christopher references Jonathan Haidt's book "The Anxious Generation" and notes that global statistics show teens and preteens are suffering due to social media abuse, then asks Jessica what parents need to know to help children stay safe. 00:03:01: Jessica acknowledges the nerve-wracking nature of parenting in the tech age and emphasizes that helping kids navigate technology is one of the biggest parenting challenges today, requiring lots of conversations starting early and happening often. 00:04:18: Christopher notes that social media can be problematic even for adults, interfering with real life. 00:04:26: Jessica discusses how innovation has outpaced child protections in social media, mentions Meta's 2024 teen account safety features, and notes that a 2025 report found these features ineffective, emphasizing that parents must be aware these tools weren't built for kids. 00:05:52: Christopher transitions the discussion to artificial intelligence as another challenge, asking what's happening with AI use among teens and preteens. 00:06:18: Jessica reports that 70% of teens have used AI and 50% use it regularly, primarily for fun, entertainment, schoolwork, and concerning companionship, noting that AI companions validate rather than challenge unhealthy thinking patterns. 00:08:05: Christopher asks Jessica to repeat what research shows children are doing with AI that is concerning. 00:08:20: Jessica explains that while curiosity-based AI use is fairly safe, the problem arises when kids seek emotional support from AI, which is not built for kids and cannot provide safe counseling, mentioning a lawsuit where parents claim their son committed suicide due to bad advice from ChatGPT. 00:09:43: Christopher summarizes that teens are creating artificial companions that appear as people on screen, creating asynchronous relationships that compound the challenges already present with social media. 00:10:22: Jessica discusses potential guardrails, mentioning ChatGPT's announcement to create age-based content filtering, but expresses skepticism based on Meta's failed guardrails, and emphasizes that parents keeping conversations going and testing technologies themselves is the safer approach. 00:11:50: Christopher summarizes that parents and mentors need to be engaged with children, maintain trust relationships, and help guide wise choices given that companies profit from children's attention. 00:12:39: Christopher asserts that no artificial intelligent therapist can replace a loving, caring, wise, experienced parent. 00:12:51: Jessica asks if the.re's anything else to share about AI, social media, and resources for parents, coaches, mentors, and teachers. 00:13:04: Jessica recommends "The Anxious Generation" and "The Phone Book," encourages parents to stay calm and authentic in conversations, and suggests families create tech plans together that outline screen-free times and appropriate technology use. 00:14:34: Christopher lists Jessica's books and asks where guests can find her online. 00:14:54: Jessica provides her website (jessicaspeer.com) and mentions her free e-newsletter, inviting people to reach out with questions. 00:15:11: Christopher concludes the podcast by thanking Famlis for support, encouraging subscriptions and reviews, and sharing the mission of making the world happier one parent-child relationship at a time. Key Takeaways Social ...