64% of teens use AI chatbots, and 12% have turned to one for emotional support or advice. Only 18% of parents are comfortable with that. In this episode of It’s Not Your Fault, a Teen Mental Health Podcast, Brandon Jones breaks down new Pew Research findings on how teens ages 13 to 17 use tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, and Copilot. He also covers the risks: wrong advice, relying on AI too much, and privacy exposure. Then he lays out three strategies for parents: get curious before you get critical, teach the difference between artificial empathy and real human support, and strengthen human connection instead of just taking the technology away. Have a question or an article to share? Reach Brandon at jegna.org. Find more episodes at ShelettaMakesMeLaugh.com. #ItsNotYourFault #TeenMentalHealth #AIandTeens #ParentingTeens #DigitalWellness #MentalHealthMatters #Chatbots #ParentingTips #HumanConnection #ShelettaMakesMeLaugh

Only 24% of high school students get at least eight hours of sleep, and 46% of teen drivers have texted or emailed while driving. In this episode of It’s Not Your Fault, a Teen Mental Health Podcast, Brandon Jones says it’s time to reset how we think about kids and devices. Taking devices away completely isn’t realistic, so he says parents need to teach kids how to tread the water. He shares stories from raising Gen Alpha kids, explains why he talks about rhythm instead of balance, and describes how he handles screen time, bedtimes and negotiation at home. Learn more about Brandon’s work at jegna.org. Find more episodes at ShelettaMakesMeLaugh.com. #ItsNotYourFault #TeenMentalHealth #ScreenTime #DigitalWellness #ParentingTeens #GenAlpha #TeenSleep #HealthyHabits #ParentingTips #ShelettaMakesMeLaugh

Only 24% of high school students get at least 8 hours of sleep on a school night. That's less than a quarter of our kids getting the rest they need.

In part two of his four-part series on the CDC's latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Brandon Jones digs into rest, screens and safety. He breaks down the numbers on sleep, social media use and texting while driving, and explains why devices are still at the center of the conversation even as youth mental health improves.

Brandon also shares a real conversation he had with his almost 5 year old about online safety, and why collaboration works better than control when it comes to kids and devices. Swap "you're addicted to that phone" for questions that actually open the door to a conversation.

Parents, caregivers and youth workers, this one's for you. If it helps, share it with someone you care about.

Learn more about Brandon and send him topics to cover at https://jegna.org

#ItsNotYourFault #BrandonJones #TeenMentalHealth #ScreenTime #Parenting #YouthMentalHealth #ShelettaMakesMeLaugh