>>> YOU’RE ABOUT TO HEAR WORDS OF WISDOM FROM 57th7th GRADER.
>> ABBIE JONES GOT CAUGHT UP IN
SOCIAL MEDIA AND IT WAS
IMPACTING HER LIFE.
>> HER PARENTS STEPPED IN AND
ABBIE’S SPEECH ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENED NEXT HAS GONE VIRAL.
>> I’M 12 YEARS OLD AND
CURRENTLY IN 7th GREAT.
>> THIS IS ABBIE JONES.
SHE’S GOT AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE
FOR PARENTS.
FOR PARENTS. >> START BEING PARENTS TO THEIR
KIDS.
KIDS. NOT FRIENDS.
NOT FRIENDS. >> RECENTLY ABBIE GAVE A TED
TALK IN DENVER TO A CROWD OF
OVER 500 FOLKS.
THE TOPIC?
THE TOPIC? OUR KIDS OBSESSION WITH SOCIAL
MEDIA.
MEDIA. >> MORE THAN AFTER OF YOUR LIFE
WASTED SCROLLING THROUGH
INSTAGRAM AND WATCHING CAT
VIDEOS.
VIDEOS. >> SHE KNOWS.
SHE SAID SHE USED TO BE ONE OF
THEM.
THEM. >> I WAS SO FOCUSSED ON GETTING
MORE LIKES ON MY POSTS AND VIEWS
ON MY STORIES THAT I LOST
INTEREST IN WHAT WAS GOING ON
AROUND ME.
AROUND ME. >> SO HER PARENTS DID WHAT ABBIE
THOUGHT WAS THE UNTHINKABLE.
THEY TOOK HER PHONE AWAY FOR A
WHOLE MONTH.
WHOLE MONTH. >> THIS IS WHERE I SAID I HATE
YOU TO MY PARENTS.
>> BUT AS THE WEEKS WENT ON,
ABBIE STARTED TO REALIZE A
LITTLE DISCONNECTION, NOT SO
BAD.
BAD. >> I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT HOW IT
WAS NEGATIVELY IMPACTING ME
UNTIL MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY TOLD
ME THEY LIKED BEING AROUND ME
MORE.
MORE. >> SHE TURNED THE I HATE YOU
INTO I THANK YOU, AND SHE WANTS
OTHERS TO DO THE SAME.
>> AND I’M A BETTER PERSON NOW
THAN I-’VE EVER BEEN BECAUSE OF
IT.
IT. >> ABBIE AND HER MOTHER JOIN US
NOW.
NOW. NICE OF YOU TO BE HERE, AND
THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS.
WHY WAS IT SO IMPORTANT FOR YOU
TO GIVE THAT SPEECH?
>> BECAUSE OF THE NEGATIVE
MENTAL AND PHYSICAL IMPACTS
SOMETIMES THIS HAS ON CHILDREN
OWN PARENTS SOMETIMES.
AND TELLING PARENTS TO STEP IT
UP AND TRY AND GET THEIR KIDS
OFF OF THIS AND TO TRY AND GET
THEMSELVES OFF OF IT.
BECAUSE KIDS CAN’T DO IT FOR
THEMSELVES.
THEMSELVES. >> THERE’S PEOPLE WONDERING
RIGHT NOW WHERE DID IT AGAIN?
MY KIDS TEXT AND ARE ON
INSTAGRAM.
INSTAGRAM. HOW DID IT START FOR YOU?
YOU WERE TEXTING AND THEN WHAT?
>> MY PHONE GOT TAKEN AWAY
BECAUSE I WAS TEXTING AND MY MOM
FOUND SOME THINGS, SOME
INAPPROPRIATE CONVERSATIONS.
INAPPROPRIATE CONVERSATIONS. >> WHAT DID YOU FIND?
CAN YOU SHARE WITH US?
>> I FOUND SOME BACK AND FORTH
TEXTS THAT WERE -- THERE WAS
INAPPROPRIATE LANGUAGE.
INAPPROPRIATE LANGUAGE. THERE WERE A COUPLE PHOTOS THAT
I DIDN’T LIKE.
IT WAS NOTHING MAJOR, BUT IT WAS
MAKING ME UNCOMFORTABLE.
I WAS NOT SURE HOW FAR THIS WAS
GOING TO GO, SO I SAID YOU KNOW,
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT A
12-YEAR-OLD CAN’T CONTROL.
SO I NEED TO STEP IN AND CONTROL
IT.
IT. >> OKAY.
>> OKAY. >> TALK TO US ABOUT -- YOU SAY
GRAM IS WHAT REALLY -- INSTAGRAM
MADE YOU FEEL THE LOWEST.
IT WOULD IMPACT YOUR
RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR PARENTS
AND OTHERS.
AND OTHERS. TELL US HOW AND WHY SO PARENTS
CAN REALIZE HOW SOCIAL MEDIA CAN
EFFECT KIDS.
EFFECT KIDS. >> WELL, EVERY WAKING MOMENT
THAT I HAD, LIKE, LUNCHTIME ON
THE BUS, AT RECESS, ON THE BUS
HOME, I WOULD BE ON SOCIAL
MEDIA, ESPECIALLY INSTAGRAM,
TRYING TO GET MORE COMMENTS,
FOLLOWERS, VIEWS AND LIKES.
SO I WASN’T FOCUSSED ON MY
FAMILY OR ON OTHER PEOPLE, AND I
DIDN’T WANT TO TALK TO ANYBODY.
I JUST WANTED TO BE ON MY PHONE.
>> DID IT MAKE YOU LONELY?
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. YEAH.
YEAH. I HAD BEEN STRUGGLING WITH
MAKING FRIENDS DURING THAT
PERIOD OF TIME, AND WE FINALLY
FIGURED OUT THAT WAS PROBABLY
WHY.
WHY. I HAD NO FRIENDS BECAUSE I
DIDN’T MAKE CONVERSATION WITH
ANYBODY ELSE.
ANYBODY ELSE. >> KIND OF A VICIOUS CIRCLE.
>> WHAT ABOUT OTHER KIDS
WATCHING? WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE TO
OTHER TEENAGERS WHO ARE LIKE I’M
ON THE BUS ON INSTAGRAM ALL THE
TIME TOO?
TIME TOO? >> AND ADULTS.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. WELL, THEY NEED TO KNOW THAT IF
THEIR PARENTS DECIDE TO TAKE
THEIR PHONE AWAY OR PUT LIMITS
ON THEIR TIME ON THEIR PHONE, TO
NOT GET ANGRY ABOUT IT AND JUST
LET IT HAPPEN.
IT WILL BE FOR THEIR BENEFIT.
>> WE HAVE A FAMILY THERAPIST
AND AUTHOR HERE OF DISCONNECTED,
HOW TO RECONNECT OUR DIGITALLY
DISTRACTED KIDS.
DISTRACTED KIDS. WHAT DO THE STUDIES SHOW THAT
HAPPENS PHYSICALLY TO KIDS
BRAINS WHILE THEY’RE ON THESE
PHONES?
PHONES? >> WHAT WE’RE SEEING IS THERE’S
STUFF THAT CAME OUT RECENTLY
WHERE THERE’S A THINNING EFFECT
TAKING PLACE IN THE CORTEX OF
THE BRAIN.
THE BRAIN. IT HAS SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS.
SOMETHING ELSEWHERE ESSENTIALLY
THE BRAIN IS GOING TO ADAPT TO
WHATEVER SITUATION IT SPENDS THE
MOST TIME IN.
THE AVERAGE KID TODAY IS
SPENDING ROUGHLY 9 HOURS A DAY
IN FRONT OF A SCREEN.
IT’S STIMULATING.
IT’S STIMULATING. THE BRAIN WILL ADAPT TO THAT
ENVIRONMENT AND UNADAPT TO THE
REAL WORLD ENVIRONMENT.
THAT’S WHY WE’RE SEEING SO MUCH
SOCIAL, MENTAL, EMOTIONAL AND
FAMILY ISSUES THAT ARE IN A WAY
UNRAVELING KIDS AND FAMILIES
THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
>> ISN’T THERE A SWEET SPOT?
BETWEEN LET THEM WATCH A LITTLE
BIT OF YOUTUBE AND --
>> IT’S THE IDEA.
IT’S ABOUT AMBULANCEBALANCE.
.
. THE SWEET SPOT FOR KIDS ABBIE’S
AGE IS TWO HOURS TOTAL PER DAY.
>> THAT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT.
TWO HOURS SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF
TIME.
TIME. I THINK --
>> IT’S NOT.
I PLAYED FORTNITE FOR TWO HOURS.
IT GOES FAST.
>> I’VE HAD TO START CHECKING
MYSELF.
MYSELF. WE’RE MODELLING BEHAVIOR.
PUT YOUR PHONES DOWN AND HAVE
CONVERSATION.
CONVERSATION. >> THIS IS A LESSON FOR PARENTS.
THROUGH ABBIE.
THROUGH ABBIE. >> I HAVE TO SAY SHE CHECKS ME
ALL THE TIME.
BECAUSE IT’S EASY FOR ME TO TAKE
AWAY HER PHONE.
I’M THE MOM.
OCCASIONALLY SHE’S LIKE YOU’VE
BEEN ON THE PHONE FOR A LONG
TIME TODAY.
TIME TODAY. WHAT’S GOING ON?
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> AWESOME, ABBIE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> INSTAGRAM SAYS THEY’VE TAKEN
STEPS TO BETTER INFORM PARENTS
THROUGH THEIR PRODUCTS.
>> THEY’VE OFFERED HELPFUL
LINKS.
LINKS. WE’LL PUT THEM ONLINE, AND