>> For the decades we've been using social media, there's been a debate over how you should be able to access it.

On one hand addictive feeds, keep kids scrolling endlessly and can harm their mental health.

On the other hand, social media can give young people spaces for expression that aren't available in school or at home.

Whether you see it as a force for good batter somewhere in between calls to regulate social platforms have spread across the nation.

That includes here in Illinois.

Joining us here to talk about all that is Jessica Schneider, professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern University, a young director of communications and public policy at the UC at the ACLU of Illinois and State Representative Jennifer gone guard.

Sure what's whose district includes parts of Glenview Wilmette in Skokie.

Thank you all for joining us.

This is an important topic cause.

I feel like we live in the era of social media now.

Can you believe Now just a guy want to start with the what are some ways a social media can impact youth mental health positively and negatively.

You would say.

And I really appreciate the framing of the question as both positively and negatively because it is a really complex relationship screen time alone.

Time spent on social media doesn't correlate very cleanly with youth mental health outcomes.

What does correlate with youth mental health outcomes or how young people actually use the platform.

Certainly the architecture behind the platform.

Infinite Scroll.

These harmful algorithmic feeds that can really undermine youth mental health, particularly for young people who are already at risk at the same time, social media platforms are often the first and sometimes only place that young people actually seek out mental health support and connection.

I'm a child.

I love the clinical psychologist.

I study interventions that can be deployed through social media platforms to meet you swear they're actually for seeking help.

potential the population health potential of these platforms, if leverage properly is really tremendous for promoting youth mental health.

But as they're currently designed, that really isn't being accomplished because these companies are allowed to create platforms that are, you know.

incentivizing kids to stay on them at all costs.

really saying there's pros and cons here.

There's absolutely pros and cons and I think they can be leveraged for good if supported in doing that.

But currently they're not.

And representative gone Gershwin's ou word.

Are you so would you argue that social media platforms need to be regulated?

effective, introduce and pass legislation out of the House of does exactly that.

>> we believe that by targeting the most harmful features, I'm the social media platforms that we're striking the right balance between protecting kids, mental health while also allowing some of the good things the professor just outlined.

>> Representative, why would you say that think regulating social media has by partisan interest?

>> I think there's been a watershed of understanding by parents about the downsides of social media addiction and the impact that this has on our kids, mental health.

And so this is really not a partisan issue.

This is a bipartisan concern, I think shared by just about every parent frankly by kids themselves.

I'm a mom of 3 boys.

And I hear from my kids concerns about not being able to put that phone down feeling like they're glued to their screens.

honestly, what this bill is attempting to do is to target those design features that we find most harmful to kids.

>> then what are your thoughts?

You argue that preserving youth access to social media is important.

Why is that?

You know, I think part of part of the reason that we're concerned is because that access is really an important First Amendment right to get access to information.

We think so much about.

>> The First Amendment being about what I can say, right?

But it's also about the information I can get.

One of the things you hear in this discussion is concerned about these platforms.

But but I think whether or not it's the right solution to have government decide what information is available and to whom is the place where we just sort of depart in looking at a solution because, in fact, is the professor points out.

There are people who are finding and young people who are finding solutions to the challenges that they face through these online platforms.

And so how do we how do we balance those things and make sure that we are limiting expression or access to information while at the same time addressing the worst and most harmful and features that I think everybody widely agrees.

It was really interesting because we all have kids or your grandfather, yourself.

Jessica, I want to talk a little bit about what really is doing.

They recently bended youth under 16.

>> From using social media are outright bans of youth on social media, effective.

>> So this is I think a very common impulse right to just say, OK, no more adolescents on social media because of these harms that are being identified.

And unfortunately, I don't think these are helpful solutions, even though they're being very widely implemented.

And I actually really appreciate that.

This bill in Illinois is not doing a blanket ban but instead targeting the design features that actually undermine youth mental health and in Australia, not only is the band ineffective because you are really tech savvy.

They will find ways around this ban in this area would say absolutely because they're motivated to do so.

But bill, simply find themselves in to less regulated portions of of the Internet maybe even be less safe that way.

But we're really letting platforms off the hook.

If we focus on Vance, essentially we're saying so don't go after the the social like that.

The company's precisely create guardrails at that.

Have good implementation power that have good stickiness and and force these companies to create platforms that can be leveraged for good by banning young people from these platforms altogether.

It essentially gives them a free pass not to change.

What's wrong with the platforms.

However, those regulations have to have teeth.

And I think the implementation of regulations on these platforms is going to be the real challenge to figure out how to actually make them stick.

And representative, you talked a little bit about it, but you are the chief sponsor on that bill called the Children's Social Media Safety Act in Illinois.

>> Can you break it down for me?

A little bit more what its regulating and what it's doing.

>> Yeah, thank you.

So this bill primarily does 3 things and it does not regulate content.

It targets knee most harmful features that we see causing problems on mine.

So it stops addictive.

Algorithmic feeds.

I'm it.

I disallow zahn and prevent social media companies from essentially recognizing you're only information to curing content that keeps you glued to your screen.

It also stops location, sharing as well as those scam financial transactions with strangers online as well as and in the middle of the night notifications.

So we think that by targeting they harmful design, features starches algorithmic feeds that are designed that are designed to be addictive.

They are addictive.

I design I'm we can I address they most harmful features social media platforms without restricting content.

>> And what are your thoughts that?

Because we know once you you can click on something right on social media and then the algorithm starts just spewing that contact in.

This is where I think we're we're still looking for a balance.

involves, you know, a solution that maybe isn't a governmental solution one of the things like the Trevor Project and other people who work with LGBTQ youth.

Tell us.

>> Is that sometimes that algorithmic feed once a young person start searching, they may find information in a non supportive home.

That may be very important for them in terms of reaching out a safe and healthy outcome for their life.

And so I think it's, you know, again, I think this discussion just says we need to continue to find a balance.

But I think to the point that that the professor made earlier, you know, we shouldn't forget that the people the, know, essentially the billionaires who control these algorithms were all placed up front at the inauguration last year.

They are getting off the hook off the hook.

Scot free without being responsible for doing any of this.

And frankly, you know, I think, you know, broader education on the harms of this broader education.

I think on some of the the more corrosive factors that parents and others could look out for and putting up as consumers pressure on those folks to make changes, I think is a way go yet.

And Jessica, we'll have a couple seconds.

But again, we mentioned you also have a young child.

>> I you know, what do you hope social media looks like for youth 10, 50 years, 10, 15 years from now.

I really hope that the potential of these algorithms to connect people with resources that are well time for their needs and the potential of these platforms that reach unprecedented numbers of young people to actually deliver supports in real time based on what they're searching for that are evidence-based that are effective.

That is the social media universe that I hope exists.

Not just one that takes advantage of young people's attention, but that actually leverage is