Common Sense Media

Check out the key findings and takeaways from our new report, “Boys in the Digital Wild: Online Culture, Identity, and Well-Being,” that explores the digital habits of boys ages 11-17 across the US: -73% regularly see "digital masculinity" content, including messages about making money, building muscle, and fighting or weapons. Exposure also increases with age. -69% encounter problematic gender stereotypes, including messages that girls only want to date certain types of guys, that girls use their looks to get what they want, that boys are treated unfairly compared to girls, or that girls should focus on home and family. -Boys with high exposure to this material are significantly more likely to feel lonely, suppress their emotions, and avoid vulnerability. Nearly half believe they must follow “unwritten rules,” like not crying or showing fear, to avoid being teased or picked on. -Algorithms, not user intent, are the primary driver of boys’ exposure to posts about masculinity, with 68% seeing such material in their feed without them searching for it. -And, a positive stat: Real-world relationships are crucial for boys’ mental health and self-esteem. Most boys (88%) have had conversations with parents about being a man, with about half describing these as helpful and supportive. Check out the full research report to learn more about our findings, and guidance for parents, educators, community groups, lawmakers, and the tech industry: https://lnkd.in/gWzG3yUC Key research team: Michael Robb, Ph.D., Supreet Mann, PhD Advisers: David Bell, MD MPH, Lia Nower, JD, PhD, Desmond Patton, MSW, PhD, Christopher Pepper, Jérémie Richard, PhD, Niobe Way, PhD Collaborators on parent and community-facing resources: American Psychological Association

Our CEO & Founder, Jim Steyer, joined NBC's Kate Snow on the Today Show to speak about Common Sense Media's new research exploring the pressures that boys face on social media, and how algorithms are feeding them content they may not be searching for, and from sources that can promote misleading or harmful "unwritten rules" and gender stereotypes. A key recommendation? Have open conversations with your kids to learn more about who they are, the pressures they are experiencing, and how you can support them. Watch the full interview: https://lnkd.in/d98UyHxV NBC News #Research #Teens #MentalHealth

How do boys’ online habits relate to their identities, self-esteem, and development? Our newest research finds that nearly three-quarters of boys ages 11-17 regularly see “digital masculinity” content about making money,  relationships, building muscle, and fighting. Additionally, over two-thirds of boys regularly see material that promotes problematic gender roles, and boys with high exposure to this kind of content are more likely to feel lonely, suppress emotions, and avoid vulnerability. Hear all the key findings from our Head of Research, Michael Robb, Ph.D., and learn what resources and guidance we have for parents and communities: https://lnkd.in/gWzG3yUC

Victoria Hinks, from Marin County, who lost her 16-year-old daughter Owl to suicide tied to social media harms, shares her powerful plea for change. Governor Gavin Newsom has until October 13th to sign AB 56 and AB 1064, two landmark bills that would protect kids from harmful social media and unsafe AI. California can continue to lead the nation in kids’ online safety, but only if these bills become law. Help amplify this call: share Victoria’s story, repost this message, and make sure families’ voices are heard!

More than 150 families who have experienced devastating losses have united to urge action from Governor Gavin Newsom: California's children need protection now. They're calling for the Governor to pass two critical bills that would protect children from AI and social media harms:  -AB 56: Requires warning labels on addictive social media platforms, giving parents and teens crucial information about risks. -AB 1064: Establishes safety guardrails for AI companion chatbots interacting with minors. Despite Tech companies spending millions on lobbying and advertising campaigns against these measures, the evidence is undeniable: without proper safeguards, our kids remain vulnerable. Read these families' stories and consider adding your voice: https://lnkd.in/ghYtmUum #ProtectKidsOnline #SocialMediaHarm #AIChatbots #AICompanions #SocialMedia

As you saw in my Sora 2 post, you know #AILiteracy is critical right now. I'm thrilled to expand our already robust AI education resources with our longtime partner Stanford University. I love that Stanford Impact Labs and our good friends at the Stanford Social Media Lab are about *action* and applied science. Actual work! We've done WhatsApp bots, online courses, YouTube PSAs, library toolkits, etc. and found that MediaWise and the Poynter Institute resources make 👏 a 👏 difference 👏. Praise be to our longtime pals and collaborators Jeff Hancock, Sunny Liu, Angela Lee, Fangjing Tu, Lonnie Shumsky, MD. Of course, Beth Goldberg! Who has been so crucial in our efforts to help older adults avoid scams by helping scale and study our work. And the amazing Samantha Oakley at the American Library Association who spearheaded our digital media literacy work in libraries. Ryan Moore, you may be on to bigger and better things, but I'll always remember being up late trying to get the Qualtrics links working in our first online course, lol. I'm also particularly stoked to do some work alongside Peter Adams and The News Literacy Project, as well as Eisha Buch at Common Sense Media, two organizations I admire. I am very grateful for Michael Eddy and the Stanford Impact Labs for investing investing in an AI literate citizenry who will be able to confidently navigate agentic browsers, chatbots, AI slop, scams and other things that comprise our rapidly changing information ecosystem. (Link to more in comments)

Now more than ever, technology allows for communities across the globe to remain connected and in community with one another. At Common Sense Media, we recognize the importance of speaking to a global audience to support the digital safety of kids worldwide. In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, we wanted to host a conversation completely in Spanish to discuss how the work we are involved in is impacting and supporting the latino community. Tune in for this special episode of Conversations with Common Sense Media. --- Ahora más que nunca, la tecnología permite que personas de todo el mundo permanezcan conectadas y en comunidad unas con otras. En Common Sense Media, reconocemos la importancia de dirigirnos a una audiencia global para apoyar la seguridad digital de los niños en todo el mundo. En reconocimiento al Mes de la Herencia Hispana, quisimos organizar una conversación completamente en español para discutir cómo el trabajo en el que estamos involucrados está impactando y apoyando a la comunidad latina.

I'm thrilled to announce that former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy is joining the Common Sense Media Board of Directors! Vivek and I have worked together for years on the issue we both care deeply about: protecting kids. He's been fearless in championing youth mental health—calling out the harms of addictive social media and even demanding warning labels on these platforms. We've stood shoulder to shoulder in that work, and we're not backing down. He's joining our Board at exactly the right time. With AI posing new threats to kids' wellbeing, we need his expertise and global leadership now more than ever. I couldn't be more excited to have my friend, Vivek, on our team as we advocate for a safer, healthier digital world for all kids and families.

We're all aware that the movie Her was a documentary, but the timeline we're living in is starting to look much darker. When adults develop emotional attachments to AI chatbots, things can get weird. But when teens confide in ChatGPT and the software does what it's programmed to do — tell the user what they want to hear — the outcome can be tragic. That's why several experts I spoke to this week were troubled by OpenAI's new approach to parental controls. It's good that the company is doing something and trying to protect kids. But there's nothing that directly addresses the threats of AI chatbots becoming companions to kids. Common Sense Media says AI companions pose an "unacceptable risk" to young people. Meanwhile, nearly three-quarters of teens have used AI for companionship, according to a survey the group conducted earlier this year. One of the top three reasons why teens said they liked talking to a chatbot in this way: "It gives advice." I've written a lot about AI chatbots at this point, and I remain optimistic about what these tools can do. I use ChatGPT daily for all kinds of things. In doing so, I remain really cautious about being a subject of the global experiment tech companies are conducting with this technology. And I definitely don't think kids need to be a part of it. Thanks a million to Josh Golin, Leslie Tyler, Robbie Torney, and Michal Luria, Ph.D. for their help making sense of all this! https://lnkd.in/eT53K4s6