In its second year, CPP doubled down on this vision of partnership. Our gender equity work continued focus on producing hard data tracking of the success of California’s first-in-the-nation law promoting women on public company boards and gave women of color a platform to highlight their expertise. We added an Advisory Council on Child Wellbeing to our team, including six Youth Ambassadors, each a leader in her own right. We then introduced an academic team to support our Youth Ambassadors as they set out to articulate what their generation needs from the tech industry.

​​The California Partners Project is engaged in a statewide listening tour with mothers, parents, and caregivers to understand how they are navigating the integration of technology and devices into most aspects of their children’s lives. A mom in Northern California shared her concern that "a lot of kids measure their importance based on the number of followers or likes they get” on their social media accounts. “They are measuring their success based on the number of followers they have.” This mom explains that she tells her kids “Your social media presence does not define you and there is more to you than just you behind the screen.” Social comparison occurs when an individual determines their self-worth by judging oneself against others. It can be exacerbated through social media; today’s youth find connection and meaning through the likes and comments built into social media. According to UCSF Professor of Pediatrics Dr. Jason Nagata, “More time on social media can lead to more comparisons to peers. This may also lead to exposure to unattainable body ideals and higher dissatisfaction with their own bodies. Social media use is linked to higher risk of developing eating disorders.” While social media can be a source of connection, Dr. Suniya Luthar has conducted research showing online social comparison is a risk factor, over and above many others, for depression and anxiety in teens. (Adversity and Resilience Sci 1, 135-147 2020)

The California Partners Project is engaged in a statewide listening tour with California mothers, parents, and caregivers to understand how they are navigating the integration of technology and devices into most aspects of their children’s lives. A mother we spoke with described a disagreement with her husband about whether their son is allowed to play video games. Before the pandemic, her son was not allowed to play at all, but to cope with the limitations of the pandemic, her husband purchased some video games. She and her husband don’t agree on limits around the games. Even before the pandemic took hold in the US, two-thirds of parents say parenting is harder than it was 20 years ago. Of these, many cite technology or social media as the driving forces behind this belief (Pew Research Center). It’s no surprise that parental disagreements about technology and social media use would also arise with these new parenting dilemmas. Here are some tips if this is also a challenge in your family.