>>JENNIFER WAUGH: TIKTOK IS TAKING STEPS TO KEEP CHILDREN AND TEENS FROM THE ENDLESSLY
SCROLLING THROUGH VIDEOS. IT’S
SETTING A DAILY TIME LIMIT FOR
ALL USERS WHO ARE YOUNGER THAN
18. SO AFTER ONE HOUR, TEEN
USERS WILL HAVE TO PUT IN A
PASS CODE TO KEEP USING THE
APP AND KIDS 13 AND UNDER WILL
HAVE TO GET PARENTAL
PERMISSION TO KEEP WATCHING
THE FEATURE CAN ALSO BE TURNED
OFF OR MODIFIED BY PARENTS TO
SUIT THEIR CHILD’S NEEDS. TRE
TUCKER IS A LICENSED MENTAL
HEALTH THERAPIST AND IS
JOINING US VIA ZOOM THIS
MORNING. GOOD MORNING. THANKS
FOR BEING WITH US.
>> GOOD MORNING TO BE WITH
YOU.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: SO WE SHOULD
POINT OUT THAT THIS COMES
AFTER A REPORT RELEASED LATE
LAST YEAR SUGGESTED THE TIKTOK
ALGORITHMS ARE PROMOTING
VIDEOS ABOUT SELF ARM AND
EATING DISORDERS TO VULNERABLE
TEENS. GIVEN THAT, DO YOU
THINK A 60 MINUTE LIMIT IS
ENOUGH?
>> YOU KNOW, THE LIMIT IS A
GOOD TOOL IS AN OPTION. BUT
REALLY BIG THING IS TEENAGERS
KNOW THAT TECHNOLOGY IS
HURTING THEM. IN FACT, EVEN
BEFORE THE NEWS BROKE, I WAS
SITTING WITH A GROUP OF THEM
JUST TALKING ABOUT LIFE AND
ONE OF THEM ASKED ME, HEY,
WOULD YOU RATHER GREW UP RIGHT
NOW OR DURING THE DECADE? YOU
GREW UP IN AND I DIDN’T ANSWER
THE QUESTION FIRST. KNEW THEY
AND I WANT TO HEAR THEY SAID
THEY WOULD RATHER GO UP IN THE
PAST DECADE WHEN THE PHONES,
THAT’S A BIG DEAL. IS THAT HOW
MUCH PRESSURE IT PUTS ON THEM?
BUT THEY ALSO DON’T REALLY
KNOW HOW TO GET OUT OF THERE
BECAUSE THEY’VE GOT THE FEAR
OF MISSING OUT, THOUGH THEY
NEED SOME SUPPORT FROM ADULT.
>> SO SO AND I WANT TO DIVE
INTO THAT AT FIRST WHAT I WHAT
WORRIES YOU HEARING THAT, YOU
THAT TEENS ARE SPENDING SO
MUCH TIME ON THESE KINDS OF
SOCIAL MEDIA APPS.
>> MY WORRY IS THAT IT’S NOT
JUST THEM. IT’S ADULT AS WELL.
AND THE TEENAGERS BE THE
PROBLEM JUST AS WELL. DON’T
DO. BUT I THE PROBLEM. AND
PERSON’S MEAN INDIVIDUAL GOT
TO BE A BIG ENOUGH PROBLEM IN
ORDER TO TAKE SOME ACTION. SO
I JUST FEAR HOW MUCH WORSE IT
GOT TO GET BEFORE EACH
INDIVIDUAL TO DECIDE. WE’VE
GOT TO MAKE SOME RADICAL
CHANGES.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: IT’S SO WHAT
DO YOU HEAR FROM THESE TEENS,
AN EXAMPLE ABOUT WHAT THE
NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS ARE? IS
IT BODY IMAGE? IS IT
CONFIDENCE?
>> BECAUSE OF THIS IS THE
BIGGEST PIECE OF THAT MONEY
AND LOOKED LIKE ABOUT YOU. AND
YOU CAN ALSO LOOK LIKE THEY’RE
TRYING TO BASICALLY CREATE
MULTIPLE IDENTITY FROM A STILL
ANOTHER WORD. THEY’RE WHO THEY
ARE IN PERSON. THERE THEY ARE
A CERTAIN PLATFORM AND EVEN ON
DIFFERENT PLATFORMS THAT THEY
CREATE DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF
BILL THROUGH. THERE’S A LOT OF
PRESSURE TO TRY TO KEEP UP AND
LOOK HOW THEY THINK THEY’RE
SUPPOSED TO LOOK.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: I’LL BE
HONEST. SAYS THE MOTHER OF 2
TEENS AS SOON AS THE WORD
PHONE AND LESS TIME ON IT
COMES UP IN MY HOUSEHOLD. I
GET A EYE ROLL FOR MY KIDS. SO
SO HOW DO YOU SUGGEST THAT
PARENTS START THE CONVERSATION
ABOUT LESS TIME ON SOCIAL
MEDIA?
>> SO 2 THINGS THAT GOT THEM
HEALTHY BEHAVIOR AND BUILD AND
THEN THEY’LL START THE
CONVERSATION BY ASKING
QUESTIONS INSTEAD OF JUST
COMING OUT OF DIRECTION THAN
ANSWERS. SO, FOR IN A GROCERY
STORE, A MOTHER AND A
DAUGHTER. I THOUGHT IT WAS A
TEENAGER. THE MOTHER WAS OUR
POLL AND WALKING SAME TIME
WALKING WAS SLOWLY AND THE
TEENAGE DAUGHTER SAID MOM, GET
OFF YOUR SO WE CAN MAKE THIS A
TWO-WAY CONVERSATION WHERE A
PARENT JUST BE CURIOUS,
ESTIMATE WHAT YOU SEE ON THERE
WITH THE FED UP PEOPLE YOUR
SAME AGE AND JUST LISTEN. AND
ONCE THEY GOT THEIR OPINION
OUT, THEN THEY MIGHT START
ASKING YOU YOU QUESTION MANY
GOT A REALLY GOOD
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: SO ANY
SPECIFIC RED THAT SERIES
INTERVENTION IS NEEDED WHEN IT
COMES TO MENTAL HEALTH, AS
WERE, YOU KNOW, WATCHING OUR
KIDS KIND OF GROW UP IN THIS
THIS WORLD OF SOCIAL MEDIA.
>> DEFINITELY. YOU CAN MONITOR
IN FIRST OF ALL, SOUTH STARTS
TO SHIFT. MAY MORE OR MAYBE
EVEN MORE AGITATION, EASILY.
THAT COULD BE A SIGN OF TOO
MUCH TIME ON THE PHONE. BUT
THAT ALSO THE BIGGEST ONE IS
THAT THEY CAN’T REALLY
FUNCTION WITH THEIR DAY-TO-DAY
TASK. AND IT’S REALLY BECAUSE
OF THE PHONE POINT YOU REALLY
DO HAVE TO STEP IN AND IT
CAN’T BE THAT 2 WAY
CONVERSATION AND MORE. IT’S
GOING TO BE THE PARENT BEING.
BUT THAT GOT AT LEAST FOR A
WHILE.
>> YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU’VE GOT
TO HEAR THEIR PARENTS. YOU
JUST CAN’T BE THEIR FRIEND,
TRE TUCKER, LICENSED MENTAL
HEALTH THERAPIST JOINING US