Hey, it's Flora Lichtenen, and you're listening to Science Friday.

As an 80s kid, I spent many hours with this.

And definitely this.

And we're to wake up in the moment and the longest I don't want it.

I don't think I'll ever make it on time.

And for sure, this.

But despite a lot of time in front of a screen, the term screen time hadn't been invented.

People trace the term back to a 1991 Mother Jones article lamenting the role of TV and video games in kids' lives, which now, I don't know, sounds kind of quaint to me, like a TV in the den, Nintendo console.

I mean, compared with today's ubiquitous portable individual screens where kids are just one swipe away from this.

I built a giant death trap, which is just one of many traps we've built. And for every trap,

this contestant survives, he wins $100,000. Legislators are taking on screens. Last month, Australia

banned social media use for kids under 16. Other countries are making similar moves. And states, including New York and Texas, prohibit phonious in school. But what's the science on this? How do never-ending YouTube videos or TikTok reels affect kids' brains and bodies? Do I need to set my kids' iPad on fire? Here with a

perspective is Dr. John Fox. He's a director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the

University of Rochester in New York. And Dr. Jenny Redesky is a developmental behavioral

pediatrician at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and she's also

co-medical director of the American Academy of Pediatric Center of Excellence on Social Media and

Youth Mental Health. Thanks both for being here. Thank you for having us. Great pleasure. Thank you.

Well, Jenny, let's start with you. Is all screen time created equal? Like, is there a clinical difference between

Elmo versus an AI generated reel? Oh, my goodness. Yes, absolutely. Especially in early

childhood and middle childhood, the effect of content quality really matters. And of course, it matters

for teens as well. You know, if you're watching a whole bunch of doom scrolling reels compared to a bunch of inspirational videos, it really does make a difference

on your mental health. But for kids, little kids especially, the way content is created,

...