Candice Odgers

We know where they are.

They're on the platforms.

And so it gives them a pass.

And it means that they don't have to clean up and fix these fundamental issues with the digital ecosystem, right, where adults have really broken the Internet.

And now we're just going to kick kids off and say that the problem is solved.

I have thought about this a lot.

And one of the parallels I draw is that if someone was going around and saying purple dye is the cause of pediatric cancer, I would want a pediatric oncologist to stand up and say,

Actually, it's not the main cause of childhood cancer.

I mean, these are serious issues.

Childhood depression, anxiety, depression is one of the leading causes of disability in the world, right?

And so we need to have a clear-eyed view on what the causes of that are and what we can do that can actually help prevent mental health problems early on.

Because it has always been the case that the first signs of mental health problems are

emerge in early adolescence.

And that was true long before smartphones and social media came on.

So we have this window of opportunity and we need to use it.

But instead, if we allow ourselves to tell a story that social media or time online damages children's

brains.

We are sending messages that are not based on evidence, right, that are shaming our young people and that are really allowing us to bypass the harder work that has to be done in order to actually support young people and address mental health issues.

So we know that the bans are coming, that they're hugely popular.

And those are really normative and value-based judgments.