Screen Deep

As courts increasingly examine the impact of social media on young people, new legal approaches are beginning to reshape how responsibility for harms are understood, shifting the focus from content to platform design. On this special episode of Screen Deep, host Kris Perry speaks with Matthew Bergman, founding attorney of the Social Media Victims Law Center, professor of Lewis & Clark Law School, and a member of Children and Screens’ Scientific Advisory Board. Bergman also served on the legal team representing the plaintiff in a landmark case examining the impact  of social media platform design on youth.
Together, Kris and Matt explore why it has historically been difficult to bring lawsuits against technology companies, how recent litigation strategies are more effective than past efforts, and what these developments could mean for the future of platform accountability.
In this episode, you will learn:
Why social media companies have historically avoided accountability for harm encountered through their products, and how that may be changing 
How recent lawsuits have uncovered key internal evidence that social media platforms were designed to be addictive to young users despite known risks 
How legal experts are using scientific research and product liability law to help define harms to youth and establish social media platform accountability
Why recent lawsuits are focusing on social media platform design rather than content, and why that matters 
Why legislative change is needed to assist the effort to enforce social media platform transparency and accountability

For more resources and research on this topic visit the Learn and Explore section of the Children and Screens website (https://www.childrenandscreens.org)

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Music: 'Life in Silico' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

How is digital media use rewiring children’s brains – and how can these impacts be measured? In this episode of Screen Deep, host Kris Perry discusses the latest research on screen use and brain development with Dr. Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education in Science and Technology and the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. Dr. Horowitz-Kraus provides an overview of how the brain processes language and reading, what her brain imaging research shows about how these processes and related cognitive skills work differently with digital media, as well as how the presence of mobile phones and other technology can disrupt attention.
In this episode, you will learn:
What brain imaging is revealing about how screen use affects the developing brains of children
Why specific areas of the brain and the networks that connect them each matter for child reading and language development
How to read to your child to engage attention and creativity
Differences in how print versus digital reading activate cognitive regions in the brain
How the mere physical presence of a smartphone can affect children’s attention, impulse control, and task performance

For more resources and research on this topic visit the Learn and Explore section of the Children and Screens website (https://www.childrenandscreens.org)

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Follow Children and Screens on: 
Facebook: Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development
Instagram: @childrenandscreens
LinkedIn: Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development
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Bluesky: @childrenandscreens.bsky.social

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Music: 'Life in Silico' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

How do online environments shape children’s health and well-being? Which features have the biggest impact, and how can we make sense of the very different ways individual children experience the same digital world? On this episode of Screen Deep, host Kris Perry discusses new research into this “digital exposome” with Dr. Ran Barzilay, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Barzilay explains how researchers are beginning to measure and quantify online environmental factors, cutting-edge findings from his study on adolescent smartphone ownership and health risks, and why making recommendations can be challenging when conclusive evidence is lacking. He also provides concrete suggestions for parents, including signs to look for when deciding whether it might be appropriate to introduce a smartphone. 
In this episode, you will learn:
How researchers are using new data techniques to quantify parts of the digital environment that may affect child health and why that matters for families 
What new, cutting-edge research suggests about the age of first smartphone ownership and negative health outcomes
What emerging evidence is showing about other digital use patterns and child health - and what questions scientists are still trying to answer 
How one leading researcher is  thinking about digital parenting decisions for his own family based on the new evidence

For more resources and research on this topic visit the Learn and Explore section of the Children and Screens website (https://www.childrenandscreens.org)

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Follow Children and Screens on: 
Facebook: Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development
Instagram: @childrenandscreens
LinkedIn: Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development
X: @childrenscreens
Bluesky: @childrenandscreens.bsky.social

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Music: 'Life in Silico' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

AI “friends” and companions are increasingly providing children and adolescents with social interactions and perceived “relationships,” despite being a technology that itself has no need for empathy or emotional reciprocity. What are the costs of attachment to these AI products to children and adolescents’ social skill development?   
On this episode of Screen Deep, host Kris Perry is joined by Dr. Pilyoung Kim, Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Denver and the Director of the Brain, Artificial Intelligence, and Child Center. A developmental psychologist with a background studying child brain development and early relationships, Dr. Kim recently pivoted her work to focus on these pertinent questions about the effects of children socializing with AI products. Dr. Kim describes her research examining children’s responses to different types of AI systems, explains what makes certain children more vulnerable to developing problematic attachments to chatbots, and suggests better product design approaches to minimize harm while facilitating helpful uses. 
In this episode, you will learn:
What makes AI chatbots feel “human” to kids and why that matters
Which children are more vulnerable to forming strong attachments to AI “best friends” — and the hidden costs of constant interaction with unconditionally supportive AI tools
Why children who are still developing their understanding of relationships and appropriate boundaries may be at risk from human-like AI companions  
How proactive design changes could make AI companions safer for youth to use
What parents and caregivers can do to help children and adolescents navigate AI companions  more safely 
What researchers urgently need to study next to identify and support youth most at risk of overattachment to AI chatbots

For more resources and research on this topic visit the Learn and Explore section of the Children and Screens website (https://www.childrenandscreens.org)

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Follow Children and Screens on: 
Facebook: Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development
Instagram: @childrenandscreens
LinkedIn: Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development
X: @childrenscreens
Bluesky: @childrenandscreens.bsky.social

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Music: 'Life in Silico' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au

Schools are increasingly deploying AI-powered technologies in classrooms that promise to revolutionize education, yet there is growing concern over the risks to children and adolescents’ learning by doing so. What do children, adolescents, and teachers think about how AI is being used in the classroom, and do these technologies actually impact learning and key cognitive skill development? In this episode of Screen Deep, host Kris Perry explores these questions with educational technology expert Dr. Adam Dubé, Associate Professor of Learning Sciences at McGill University. Dr. Dubé describes his research on how youth and educators view AI, key pitfalls to avoid when using AI for learning, and how past lessons from introducing technologies can inform the way we think about educational AI. He shares what parents need to know about selecting a good educational app for their children, and how to make informed decisions about utilizing technology to enhance, not replace, the learning process. 
In this episode, you will learn:
How relying on AI for task completion can interfere with the development of fundamental skills like creativity and detailed reading.
Simple questions educators and students can ask to determine if AI use is offloading thinking or supporting learning.
How teachers’ opinions of AI use in the classroom have changed over time and what’s causing growing concern. 
What is needed for more thoughtful integration of AI into classrooms.
How to identify a quality educational app and why parents often overlook those features when selecting digital apps for children.

For more resources and research on this topic visit the Learn and Explore section of the Children and Screens website (https://www.childrenandscreens.org)

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Follow Children and Screens on: 
Facebook: Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development
Instagram: @childrenandscreens
LinkedIn: Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development
X: @childrenscreens
Bluesky: @childrenandscreens.bsky.social

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Music: 'Life in Silico' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au