- A.I. and social media lack guardrails, creating new risks for teens.
- Experts recommend open-ended, curiosity-based conversations.
Parents should set boundaries, protect sleep, and model healthy device use.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Dorothy Johnson, is a mom of two and like many parents— she's watching her oldest child spend more time online. Her 11-year-old daughter is heading into seventh grade next year, and with that comes more curiosity, more independence, and more exposure to social media.
Dorothy says one of her biggest discomforts comes from the pace and volume of content — especially on platforms that push endless, often unpredictable, reels.
“The reels just populating and populating have always made me uncomfortable,” she told me. “Tech is on that list—whether it's deepfake, AI, or photoshop—if she’s curious, we’re definitely having those conversations.”
Experts say those conversations matter.
I spoke with Erin Walsh—author, educator, and co-founder of the Spark & Stitch Institute—who studies technology and adolescent development. Walsh says today’s digital world is different from when most parents were kids themselves.
“Today's social media landscape is more permanent, more spreadable, more search-able, more algorithmically driven,” she said.
She added that emerging AI tools—and how easily kids can access them—bring added concerns.
“The most popular commercial AI systems were not built with adolescent mental health and safety in mind,” Walsh said. “They weren’t built with the kind of guardrails we would like to see.”
So what can parents do right now?
Experts say break conversations into small, frequent check-ins instead of overwhelming lectures. For kids, what matters most is consistency and curiosity—not perfection.
Simple ways parents can check in:
- Ask curious, open-ended questions
- Talk about what kids are seeing online
- Set clear boundaries around screen time and expectations
- Protect sleep and study time
- Model healthy device use yourself
Walsh says the upcoming holiday break is actually one of the best windows of the year to reset habits, open conversations, and set guidelines going into 2026.
Inside Dorothy’s home—balance is the priority.
She acknowledges that social media, artificial intelligence and digital consumption aren’t going anywhere.
“It’s going to be impossible to keep AI away from anyone—let alone Gen Z,” she said, laughing. But she says what can happen—starts at home.
“Too much of anything can be a bad thing,” she said. “Balance, and being vigilant and staying present—that’s your best shot.”
Walsh agrees that technology will continue to evolve, platforms will continue to change—and kids will adapt quickly. But through it all, parents remain the most important guideposts in helping kids stay safe. Because no matter how fast the digital world expands—being attentive, purposeful, and connected at home remains the strongest safeguard.
In North Omaha, I’m Melissa Wright.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
