What really matters when it comes to screen time
Pediatricians are rethinking screen time. Here’s why.
🚨 Don’t Miss Our YF Innovator Showcase for the Here Comes the Fun Cohort! 🚨
In a moment when so much of what we see online feels heavy, we’re making space for something else: joy, creativity, and connection.
On February 18th, we’re hosting a virtual showcase featuring the Here Comes the Fun Cohort, eight Young Futures Innovators building digital experiences that help teens feel more grounded, more connected, and more like themselves.
This is your chance to see what they’ve built, hear directly from the leaders behind the work, and walk away with real inspiration for what a healthier digital life can look like.
📅 Date: Wednesday, February 18th, 2026
⏰ Time: 9:30am PT / 12:30pm ET
Young Futures Community,
It’s never been more important to help young people manage their time online, especially because not all screen time is created equal. The AAP recently encouraged families to move beyond time limits and focus more on what young people are actually doing online, and how adults can help them navigate those experiences.
That shift matters because the apps, feeds, games, and AI tools young people use shape how they connect with friends, perceive current events, manage emotions, complete schoolwork, wind down at night, and decide what feels urgent or important. At Young Futures, we call this digital tension. It’s the constant pull between staying connected and staying grounded, between joy and overload, between unplugging and worrying about what you will miss.
“Screen time alone doesn’t tell the whole story anymore,” says Dr. Hansa Bhargava, an AAP spokesperson. “Today’s digital world isn’t just TV, it’s an immersive ecosystem designed to keep kids engaged as long as possible.”
That shift in how experts are thinking about screen use also helps explain why another recent headline matters. In the world of AI, tools like ChatGPT are beginning to introduce new safeguards aimed at protecting younger users, including systems that try to identify when someone may be under 18 and apply additional limits. This is an important step, and it reflects growing recognition that young people need different guardrails than adults.
But these updates are not a substitute for adult involvement. As our COO Kristine Gloria shared in a recent interview with CNET: “Technology alone can’t remove all risk. What matters most is pairing these safeguards with adult guidance, helping young people build judgment, ask questions, and navigate uncertainty, rather than assuming tools will do that work for them.”
Taken together, these developments point to a simple conclusion: tools and guardrails help, but connection is what really matters. Showing up with curiosity and care makes a difference.
If you are not sure what your child is seeing or doing online, asking them can be a simple way to connect and ease some of the digital tension you are both navigating. Our grantees at Only7Seconds and ReThink Citizens recently collaborated on a free, youth-designed digital card deck, a practical tool you can use tonight to start meaningful conversations about digital habits, belonging, and how life online fits into everyday relationships.
Grateful to be navigating these questions alongside you.
Warmly,
Katya Hancock
CEO, Young Futures
Young Futures in the News
Jan 21, CNET Article, YF’s COO, Kristine Gloria, responds to OpenAI’s rollout of age-prediction technology by warning that automated monitoring and “technical band-aids” are not a complete solution for protecting young users. She emphasizes that while families need support navigating generative AI, platforms must move beyond reactive filters toward a “safety-by-design” approach that prioritizes youth wellbeing as a foundational element. Ultimately, Gloria calls for a commitment to transparency and digital literacy to ensure we are building environments that truly empower teens rather than just restricting them.
Young Futures Innovators in the News
Under Pressure Cohort YF Innovators Carolyn Gan of Cal Partners Project Samin Bhan of Lookupp sat down with to discuss the importance of digital presence and the launch of the Nourishing Mind & Body Family Guide. Together, they explore how families can combat “phubbing” (aka, ignoring a loved one in favor of looking at your phone) and reclaim the dinner table through shared incentives, movement, and evidence-based strategies that prioritize face-to-face connection over screen time.
Lonely Hearts Cohort YF Innovator Luke Wall of Only7Seconds is collaborating with neuroscientist and YF mentor Dr. Katherine Grill to redefine the digital experience through the Stories, Science & Strategies (SSS) Framework™. By focusing on peer-to-peer lived experience and credible health information, they empower young people to transform social media from a source of stress into a powerful tool for wellness and intentional connection.
Lonely Hearts Cohort YF Innovator Lewis Bernstein of Sesame 3G is working to mend the social fabric of a nation under strain by leveraging a multigenerational mentoring model that connects older adults, teenagers, and young children. Through the use of curated Sesame Street clips as catalysts for connection, Bernstein empowers teens to find purpose as mentors while fostering community resilience and humanizing the “other” across deep cultural and generational divides.
Lonely Hearts Cohort YF Innovator Trisha Prabhu of ReThink Citizens is is confronting the digital epidemic of cyberbullying by providing adolescents with a patented software solution that encourages them to pause and reconsider sending harmful messages. By scaling her innovative “ReThink” technology globally following a successful appearance on Shark Tank, Prabhu empowers young people to cultivate empathy and make responsible decisions in their online interactions.
What We’re Reading (& Watching)
The mistake we’re making on teens and social media (Substack - Techno Sapiens, Jan 27)
Teen social media addiction trial set to kick off in LA (Courthouse News, Jan 26)
TikTok just changed its Terms of Service. What does that mean for your privacy? (Mashable, Jan 23)
Measuring What Matters: Social Determinants of Health for Youth (BHT Impact, Jan 23)
Child experts: AI toys too risky for young kids (Mashable, Jan 22)
A Child-Friendly Digital World: AAP Releases New Media Recommendations (Healthy Children, Jan 20)
New report says screen time limits for children are no longer enough (ABC News, Jan 19)
Talking to Teens
Child psychologist and YF advisory board member Dr. Lisa Damour recently shared a poignant reflection on how parents can support teenagers processing the distressing news coming out right now. She emphasizes the importance of validating a teen’s intense emotions, reassuring them that their alarm and upset are entirely appropriate responses to disturbing events. By confirming that their feelings are trustworthy, caregivers can help teens navigate their emotional complexity without the added burden of doubting their own reactions.
Friends of YF
Our friends at the Foundation for Social Connection are hosting a webinar on February 18, 2026 at 2:00pm ET, to launch the first-ever US SILC Ecosystem Map and State of the US Ecosystem Report. These innovative resources are designed for practitioners, policymakers, and funders to visualize the landscape of social connection efforts, identify critical gaps, and foster cross-sector collaboration to combat loneliness. Click here to register for the session to explore the map’s interactive features and hear from field leaders during an exclusive fireside chat!
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has released a landmark policy statement, “Digital Ecosystems, Children, and Adolescents,” calling for a systems-wide transformation to prioritize child development over profit-driven engagement. This new guidance introduces a socioecological framework and the “5 Cs of Media Use” to help families, educators, and policymakers create a digital world that supports mental health and physical well-being. Click here to explore the full recommendations and learn how to build a healthier digital environment for the next generation!
Stanford University Medicine is now accepting applications for Tech-X, a dynamic one-week summer immersion program for high school students exploring the intersection of mental health and cutting-edge technology like AI and social media. Running in two sessions this June, the program offers participants a unique opportunity to engage with Stanford faculty, explore digital mental health tools, and collaborate on innovative projects to design safer interventions for youth. Applications close Saturday, January 31, 2026, so click here to apply now and secure your spot in this transformative experience!
Funding Opportunities
The Million Coaches Challenge is inviting organizations and leaders to apply for Empower Every Coach, a new $1 million funding opportunity designed to dismantle systemic barriers in youth sports. Following their milestone of training one million coaches, this initiative seeks 6–8 high-impact projects that align with their core goals, insights, narrative, organizational practice, and policy, with grants ranging from $100,000 to $250,000. If you are working to scale proven solutions and drive systems-level change for coaches across the U.S., you can submit a LOI now through February 17, 2026. Check it out and apply now!