TAYLOR KNIGHT  0:03  

HELLO, EVERYONE. MY NAME IS TAYLOR KNIGHT WITH STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS. TODAY I’M SPEAKING WITH AUTHOR JORDAN REED ABOUT THE IMPACT SOCIAL MEDIA HAS ON CHILDREN. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. JORDAN, HOW ARE YOU?

 

JORDAN REID  3:12  

OH, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. I AM WONDERFUL. 

 

TAYLOR KNIGHT  3:15  

LOVELY.SO I WANT TO ASK YOU A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT EVERYTHING GOING ON WITH INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, AND THE IMPACT IS HAVING ON CHILDREN. SO MY FIRST QUESTION, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE LEAKED DOCUMENTS MADE PUBLIC BY THE WHISTLEBLOWER?

 

JORDAN REID  3:28  

I DON’T THINK ANY OF US ARE PARTICULARLY SURPRISED. BUT IT’S ALSO SUCH A RELIEF TO HAVE NOT JUST THE CONTENT OF WHAT WAS LATE, BUT THE PERSON WHO LEAKED THEM HAS SUCH A STRONG COGENT VOICE AND SHE’S JUST SO CLEAR. AND SHE’S SO CREDIBLE, THAT IT’S GIVING. IT’S GIVING CREDENCE TO THIS INFORMATION THAT WE ALL SUSPECTED IN A REALLY NEW WAY THAT I THINK IS SUPER IMPORTANT.

 

TAYLOR KNIGHT  3:54  

HOW DID YOU REACT? AND DID YOU SPEAK TO YOUR KIDS OR CONSIDER CHANGING THEIR ACCESS TO SOCIAL MEDIA ONCE THIS ALL CAME OUT? CONFIRMING IN A SENSE, EVERYTHING GOING ON? 

 

JORDAN REID  4:10  

RIGHT? SO MY CHILDREN ARE NINE AND SEVEN. SO THEY HAVE THEY HAVE YOU KNOW, RELATIVELY LIMITED ACCESS ANYWAY. BUT I HAD ALWAYS THOUGHT TO MYSELF, ESPECIALLY WITH MY DAUGHTER, I ALWAYS THOUGHT TO MYSELF, LIKE I’M GONNA SAY LIKE, NO INSTAGRAM UNTIL WHATEVER AGE BUT I KNOW SHE’S GONNA BE LIKE MOM UNTIL I FINALLY GIVE HIM WHAT HE NEEDS TO. BUT NO HARD PASS HARD STOP ON IT NOW. IT’S JUST NOT HAPPENING. AND IF SHE WANTS TO FIGHT ME ON IT, I HAVE DOCUMENTS THAT I CAN POINT HER TO. SO IT’S NOT JUST ME BEING A PAIN. IT’S LIKE, NO, THIS THESE ARE FACTS. AND THAT’S WHY YOU’RE NOT DOING THIS. 

 

TAYLOR KNIGHT  4:46  

GOT IT.AND AS A PARENT, DO YOU THINK INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK ARE DANGEROUS KIND OF TOUCHING ON WHAT YOU JUST MENTIONED? WOULD YOU SAY IT’S A DANGEROUS SPACE FOR CHILDREN, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN WHO ARE SO YOUNG LIKE YOURS?

 

JORDAN REID  4:57  

OH, I MEAN, I THINK SO. I WAS SORT OF ONE OF THE AREAS BLOGGERS BACK IN, LIKE 2009. SO I’VE SORT OF BEEN ON THE FOREFRONT OF SEEING HOW THIS HAS ALL CHANGED. AND I’VE SEEN HOW IT’S CHANGED ME. AND I’M AN ADULT, I DON’T LIKE I MEAN, I, WITH THE ADVENT OF FILTERS, WHEN ALL OF THAT WAS HAPPENING WAS CUTE WHEN IT WAS BUNNY YEARS. AND NOW IT’S REALLY, IT’S REALLY DISTRESSING.

 

TAYLOR KNIGHT  5:18  

YOUR WHOLE FACE FEATURE IT’S LIKE IS THAT EVEN ME?

 

JORDAN REID  5:22  

AND I’M LOVING ALL THE CONTENT THAT’S OUT NOW A BIT OF PEOPLE GOING LIKE THIS AND SHOWING THE FILTER DISAPPEARING FROM THEIR FACE. AND I THINK THAT’S REALLY, YOU KNOW, POSITIVE THING THOSE COME FROM THIS, BUT YEAH, NO, I MEAN, IT’S VERY DAMAGING. IT’S DAMAGED ME. AND I’M, YOU KNOW, 40.

 

TAYLOR KNIGHT  5:41  

IT DEFINITELY TAKES A TOLL ON A LOT OF PEOPLE, SOME THINGS YOU DON’T REALIZE UNTIL IT’S LIKE KIND OF TOO LATE, YOU’RE LIKE, WOW, THAT REALLY WAS IMPACTFUL. WOULD YOU SAY THAT? WELL, WHAT ARE SOME POSSIBLE GUIDELINES YOU THINK SHOULD BE PUT IN PLACE FOR INSTAGRAM AND FACEBOOK?

 

JORDAN REID  5:54  

I MEAN, THAT’S AN EXCELLENT QUESTION. FIRST, I THINK IT’S OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO EDUCATE THEM ON, OF COURSE, THE MINEFIELD, THAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA. LIKE I SAID, I’VE BEEN BLOGGING FOR 12 YEARS. SO I CAN POINT TO, YOU KNOW, 1000S, OF NEGATIVE COMMENTS ONLINE ABOUT ME AND MY LOOKS LIKE EVERYTHING. AND THAT’S ACTUALLY A REALLY, I FIND IT VERY POSITIVE AND HELPS ME TALK TO MY CHILDREN, BECAUSE I CAN POINT TO THIS AND SAY, IS THIS TRUE? AND THEY’LL SAY, NO. AND THEY’LL SAY, WHY DO YOU THINK SOMEONE MIGHT HAVE SAID THIS? AND THEN WE HAVE A CONVERSATION, BUT MORE TO YOUR POINT WITH FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM? I MEAN, I JUST THERE NEEDS TO BE AGE RESTRICTIONS THE SAME WAY THERE IS WITH APPS? I DON’T? IF I HAD THE ANSWERS, I MEAN, IT’S JUST, THEY’RE JUST PUTTING OUT A PRODUCT THAT THEY KNOW IS GOING TO TOXIC. AND I HONESTLY, I THINK THAT THE FILTERS PROBABLY NEED TO BE REGULATED. THERE’S, AND IT’S JUST IT’S THE SET UP TO DAMAGE THEM. OH, AND THEY WORK ON THEIR ALGORITHM? OH, YEAH. OH, SO WHAT’S HAPPENING IS IF SOMEONE YOU KNOW, GOOGLE’S DIETS A TEENAGE GIRL, GOOGLE’S SOMETHING ABOUT DIET, THEN THE ALGORITHM IS GOING TO KEEP FEEDING HER INFORMATION ABOUT LIKE INSPIRATION PRO ANNA, AND THEY HAVE GOT TO FIGURE OUT THEIR ALGORITHM PROBLEM.

 

TAYLOR KNIGHT  7:10  

YEAH, TOTALLY AGREE TO THAT. I’VE NOTICED EVEN MY EXPERIENCE SOCIALLY, I’M LIKE, WAIT, HOW DOES INSTAGRAM KNOW THAT? I’VE BEEN LIKE LOOKING AT THIS OR THAT IT’S KIND OF LIKE PREMIUM? WHAT ARE THEY WATCHING ME OR?

 

JORDAN REID  7:19  

I KNOW, MY ENTIRE FEED. MY SEARCH FEED IS GOLDEN RETRIEVERS FEEL LIKE IT KNOWS ME? WELL, LIKE I KNOW, YOU’RE SNEEZING IN THE BACKGROUND?

 

TAYLOR KNIGHT  7:29  

AND THEN WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA BEING REGULATED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT?

 

JORDAN REID  7:35  

I KNOW THAT THIS IS A HOT BUTTON TOPIC AT THE MOMENT WITH FEDERAL, YOU KNOW, THE GOVERNMENT TAKING CARE OF LITERALLY ANYTHING. BUT WITH REGARDS TO SOCIAL MEDIA, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT A PRODUCT, A TANGIBLE PRODUCT THAT HAS TANGIBLE EFFECTS, AND THE SAME WAY THAT WE WOULD REGULATE A DRUG THAT WE WERE GIVING TO OUR CHILDREN. THIS IS A DRUG AND IT’S NOT ONLY A DRUG, IT’S AN ADDICTIVE DRUG. SO IF WE’RE GOING TO BE SAYING, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN’T, WE CAN HAVE OXY CONTENT AND LIKE JUST GIVING OUT ON THE STREET. SIMILARLY, WE JUST CAN’T HAVE UNFETTERED ACCESS TO SOMETHING THAT, YEAH, IT’S JUST SO DAMAGING, AND SO ADDICTIVE.

 

TAYLOR KNIGHT  8:13  

WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH. BUT BEFORE WE GO, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO SHARE ABOUT YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA EXPERIENCE, THE DANGERS, YOU’VE SEEN IT CAUSE AND YOUNG ADULTS, CHILDREN, TEENS, ANYTHING THAT COMES TO YOUR MIND, WHEN YOU THINK OF SOCIAL MEDIA,

 

JORDAN REID  8:27  

I MEAN, ALL ALL I CAN SEE IS I SEE, LIKE I HAVE, YOU KNOW, FRIENDS WITH TEENAGE DAUGHTERS, AND THE PRESSURE TO PERFORM AND THE PRESSURE FOR LIKES, AND I’VE NOTICED THE CHANGES THAT IT’S HAD ON THEM IN TERMS OF HOW THEY DRESS AND HOW THEY PRESENT THEMSELVES. AND I CAN SEE THAT THEY’RE GOING IN THE DIRECTION OF PRESENTING THEMSELVES IN A WAY THAT GETS MORE LIKES AND MORE ATTENTION. AND I UNDERSTAND FROM FIRSTHAND EXPERIENCE, THE TEMPTATION THERE, BUT WE NEED TO PROTECT CHILDREN FROM GOING DOWN THAT ROAD. BEAUTIFUL.

 

TAYLOR KNIGHT  8:58  

AND THEN YOU MENTIONED EARLIER THAT YOU KIND OF SHOW YOUR CHILDREN DIFFERENT, LIKE COMMENTS ON YOUR BLOGS, AND YOU ASK THEM, YOU KNOW, DO YOU THINK THIS IS TRUE? WHAT MADE YOU THINK OF IT, I FOUND THAT REALLY INTERESTING.

 

JORDAN REID  9:09  

I’M JUST I KNOW HOW DAMAGING IT WAS, FOR ME, IT WAS SORT OF A WILD WEST ERA. AND I THINK NOW WE HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE TROLLING AND ALL THAT STUFF ONLINE COMES FROM, THERE’S MORE OF A CULTURAL CONVERSATION AROUND IT. BUT CHILDREN HAVEN’T BEEN A PART OF THAT CULTURAL CONVERSATION YET BECAUSE THEIR CHILDREN. AND YOU KNOW, I WAS LOOKING THROUGH MY, MY OLD STUFF FROM LIKE MIDDLE SCHOOL THE OTHER DAY AND FINDING ALL THESE NOTES AND THEY’RE VICIOUS THINGS THAT GIRLS WOULD SAY ABOUT EACH OTHER. AND NOW IT’S JUST AMPLIFIED AND IT’S ONLINE. AND SO IT’S IMPORTANT TO ME TO REALLY PUT INTO CONTEXT WHERE THOSE NEGATIVE FEELINGS ARE COMING FROM AND IT’S NEVER IT’S NEVER ABOUT YOU. IT IS ALWAYS ABOUT SOMETHING GOING ON IN A PERSON’S LIFE AND STARTING TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT THAT FROM YOU KNOW, THE VERY FIRST INSTANCES BUT THEN BEING A SOCIAL MEDIA IS ESSENTIAL.

 

TAYLOR KNIGHT  10:01  

WOW. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TALKING WITH US ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA, THE IMPACT HAS ON CHILDREN AND JUST YOUR EXPERIENCE, TOO. I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR TIME TODAY.THANK YOU. 

 

JORDAN REID  10:11  

THANKS FOR HAVING ME.

 

TAYLOR KNIGHT  10:12  

NO PROBLEM. THANK YOU ALL FOR TUNING IN TO STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS. I’LL CATCH YOU LATER.