Welcome to Parent Pixels, a parenting newsletter filled with practical advice, news, and resources to support you and your kids in the digital age. This week:
🍎 Teens spend over 1 hour on phones during school: Your teen is likely distracted in the classroom, according to a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics. Researchers found that half of teens (ages 13–18) use their smartphones for at least 66 minutes during school hours, and 25% logged in for more than two hours. While some teens use their phones for research or schoolwork, the majority of students used social media and messaging apps. (Gotta maintain that Snapstreak, after all.) This isn’t ideal for a bunch of reasons ranging from lost learning to missed opportunities to socialize with peers. Some schools are implementing phone bans during class hours, but if yours hasn’t, here are a few options: use parental controls to limit screen time and notifications during school hours, and talk to your child about why it’s important to limit their phone use at school. If they struggle with focus or forget assignments, keeping their phone off at school is an easy first step.
⚖️ Kids Off Social Media Act advances out of committee: There’s a new child safety bill on the block. The Kids Off Social Media Act (KOSMA) — a bipartisan bill that would ban kids under 13 from social media — was approved by the Senate Commerce Committee, setting it up for consideration by the full Senate. The bill builds on existing platform policies, as most social media companies already set their minimum age at 13. If passed, the bill would require social media platforms to enforce age verification and mandate that federally funded schools block access to social media on school networks and devices. The bill is gaining traction at a time when more people are becoming aware of social media’s negative effects on adolescents; a recent study by Sapien Labs links smartphone usage to increased aggression, hallucinations, and detachment from reality among teens, and 13-year-olds are experiencing more severe mental health issues compared to 17-year-olds — possibly because they received their phones at younger ages.
🙅 Most teens don’t trust AI or Big Tech: Adolescents feel sus about generative AI like ChatGPT and DeepSeek, according to a new research brief from Common Sense Media. Over a third of teens say they’ve been misled by fake content online, including AI-generated content (aka deepfakes). Over half (53%) of teens don’t think major tech companies will make ethical and responsible design decisions, either. They’re also aware that Big Tech tends to prioritize profits over safety: a majority (64%) don’t trust companies to care about their mental health and well-being, and 62% don’t think companies will protect their safety if it hurts profits. With the rise of misinformation and AI-generated content, now is a good time to check in with your teen about how to spot deepfakes and verify online information before they share it.
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Back in high school, you probably learned the importance of citing reliable sources and distinguishing credible information from unreliable ones. Today’s kids face the same challenge, but in a digital world filled with AI-generated deepfakes and misinformation. Knowing how to evaluate online sources is an essential skill. Here are some conversation starters to help your child think critically about what they see online.
💕 Valentine’s Day is this Friday! If you’re looking for family-friendly movies to watch with your teen or tween, check out this roundup. We’ll take any excuse to rewatch Say Anything.
📱 Sharing content about your kids online is tempting, but “sharenting” has its downsides, too. We’re sitting with the lessons from this article on Psychology Today.
⏳ Curious about whatever’s happening with TikTok? The ban has been delayed for at least 75 days, but still needs an American buyer. YouTube personality MrBeast, the CEO of Roblox, and Microsoft are just some of the names that are eyeing a TikTok bid to keep it in the US.
🧐 In honor of Safer Internet Day, UNICEF debunks four myths about children’s online safety that are worth a read.
