Around the water cooler 🗞️
The U.S. Surgeon General issues social media advisory 📱
Last week, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a warning about social media and its effect on mental health for young people.
In short:
In a 19-page advisory, Dr. Vivek Murthy says that social media can have "profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents."
A study of adolescents without ADHD symptoms, using social media frequently, had statistically significant increased odds of developing symptoms, over the course of two years.
Adolescent social media use is predictive of a subsequent decrease in life satisfaction for certain developmental stages including for girls 11-13 years old and boys 14-15 years old.
Studies have shown people can exhibit brain structure changes similar with substance use or gambling addictions.
To play devil's advocate...
Forming and maintaining friendships online can help develop social connections, and have positive interactions with more diverse peer groups than might be available offline. The buffering effects against stress that online social support can offer are particularly important for marginalized youth. 58% of adolescents report that social media helps them feel more accepted; 67% like they have support through tough times; 71% like they can show their creative side; 80% like they are more connected to what's going on with their friends.
Your task should you choose to accept it:
Create a family media plan.
Create tech-free zones in the home.
Set boundaries for online and offline time.
Model responsible online behavior to your kids.
Other topics to launch your conversation 🚀
After an odd, puff-piece press tour from the NYT, Theranos founder & fraudster Elizabeth Holmes, is set to start her 11-year prison sentence.
Well, to put it succinctly: "OpenAI’s Altman and other AI giants back warning of advanced AI as ‘extinction’ risk." Cool...cool, cool, cool...
The prophecy is fulfilled, HBO Max has shed the 'HBO' in its name to become Max (the one to watch HBO). The rollout that no one asked for has, somewhat expectedly, not gone so smooth.
Recommendations
To Watch:
The Little Mermaid: Disney's live-action remake of the beloved classic, starring Halle Bailey, opens to a whopping $117.5 million, the fifth highest Memorial Day weekend opening of all time.
The Barbie movie trailer: Margot Robbie (Barbie) contemplates death in the new trailer for the live-action Barbie movie, coming out in July.
Kukeri: A documentary short about dancing evil spirits away.
I Think You Should Leave S3: Tim Robinson's offbeat, sketch show returns for its third season, now streaming on Netflix.
Vanderpump Rules S10 reunion: The explosive conclusion to Scandoval, the scandal that rocked the reality TV Bravo-verse.
Platonic: Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen reunite in this comedy about platonic friendships and mid-life crises.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the sequel to Sony's 2018 animated Spider-Man movie (aka the best Spider-Man movie) opens June 2nd.
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3: James Gunn wraps up his irreverent, space-faring Marvel superhero trilogy before starting his new job as head of the rival comic book movie studio.
In its final days, HBO goes out with a bang with incredible series finales to both Succession and Barry.
Boston University graduates yelling at Warner Bros. Discovery CEO, David Zaslav to "pay your writers!" during a commencement speech.
To Read:
Transitions by WIlliam Bridges: a guide for learning to cope with changes in life and work.
This is How You Lose the Time War: a 2019 sci-fi novel that rose to the top of the charts recently because of a viral tweet from an anime stan.
Raw Dog by Jamie Loftus: "Part travelogue, part culinary history, all capitalist critique."
Carmageddon: Author Daniel Knowles makes the case against cars and how they're destroying our urban fabric.
The New Yorker's write up on a new book about the History of Nepo Babies.
To Listen:
Daft Punk's re-release of Random Access Memories with 9 bonus tracks.
This hour-long Jungle in Gaming mix that pulls from PS1, N64, and Xbox.
The Swiftie Method: a Taylor Swift playlist for lulling your infant or toddler to sleep 👶
The composer for 'Succession' reflecting on the show's signature sounds, on NPR.
To Try:
Making a pod racer in Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Giving 100% at work this week:
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