On September 8, a panel discussion at UC Irvine addressed the challenges and strategies for raising children in an increasingly digital world. The event, titled “Raising the Next Generation in the Age of AI,” was the third installment of a series co-presented by UCI’s School of Social Ecology, the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, the Office of Research, the Connected Learning Lab, and CERES. Researchers, a tech industry leader, and a youth advocate offered practical strategies for families, aiming to foster empowerment over panic.
Candice Odgers, UCI Chancellor’s Professor of psychology and informatics, moderated the discussion. Panelists included Yalda Uhls, founder and CEO of the Center for Scholars and Storytellers at UCLA; Melissa Mazmanian, UCI professor of informatics and organization and management; Vani Henderson, head of UX Research, Youth, Trust and Safety at YouTube; and Larz May, founder of #HalfTheStory and co-founder and CEO of Ginko.
Yalda Uhls reminded the audience that parental anxiety over new media is not a new phenomenon, referencing concerns from novels in the 1800s to video games in the 1980s. Research, she argued, often provides a more nuanced perspective on these fears. Uhls stated, "What hasn’t changed is parental fear." She highlighted that a truly unique human brain cannot be replaced by technology and emphasized the importance of helping young people understand this. Drawing on decades of parenting research, Uhls asserted that effective offline parenting strategies—combining reasonable rules with genuine warmth—also prove successful in the online realm. She also noted that navigating today’s media landscape requires teaching children media literacy, empowering them to evaluate content, recognize misinformation, and understand content production.
Melissa Mazmanian shared insights from her research, which included spending extensive time within family homes. Her findings indicated that the most effective media rules were those originating from a parent's instincts regarding their specific child, rather than those imposed by schools or external groups. Mazmanian encouraged parents to critically examine the source of their fears, distinguishing between anxieties fueled by news or general advice versus concrete observations about their own child’s behavior. Her study involving parent-teen pairs also revealed that teenagers tend to be more understanding of their parents’ screen time than parents are of theirs. Moreover, families experienced greater conflict when teens felt their parents did not understand their online activities, whether for socializing, creative pursuits, or exploring hobbies.
Vani Henderson, representing YouTube, underscored the responsibility inherent in building products for children globally. Henderson stated, "I take my role... with a great sense of responsibility," and pointed out that many parents are unaware of the existing parental controls within platforms like YouTube.
Larz May, who works directly with students and schools, addressed the reality of technology use among youth. She stated that children are using AI, irrespective of parental desires, and warned that fear-based approaches can lead to apathy, which she considered a greater risk than any specific technology. May cited an example of a student recording homework sessions due to anxiety over a school’s AI policy. She advocated for using technology to amplify a child's inherent talents, rather than replacing them. May emphasized that genuine engagement, rather than restriction, is the antidote to excessive screen time, underscoring that "Behind every screen is a child’s superpower." She also challenged parents to reflect on whether their own discomfort with a rapidly changing world contributes to their anxieties. May suggested using technology as a window into a child's interests, offering an example of using AI to help a child shape a spoken narrative into a written draft, allowing the child's authentic voice to lead.
Panelists generally agreed that outright bans, whether on phones or AI tools, serve as a starting point but do not constitute a comprehensive solution. Candice Odgers concluded the discussion by noting that bans and existing cell phone policies are not consistently delivering on their promises, highlighting the ongoing need to find effective solutions. The panel’s collective advice centered on strategic engagement, understanding, and fostering media literacy to support children in the digital age.
