From Junk Food to Social Media: How Teens Get Manipulated

How do we get our kids to make healthier choices when it comes to resisting junk food, smoking, or social media? In today’s podcast episode, Dr. Ruston talks with David Yeager, a leading researcher in the science of youth behavior change, motivation, and the power of mindsets, which are essentially our beliefs. Yeager studies show what happens when youth — who don’t like to be manipulated —  are taught about companies’ manipulative tactics. This episode also features segments from our movie, Screenagers Under the Influence, which address the impacts of deceptive marketing by e-cigarette companies like Juul. This episode is intended for adult and youth audiences.  Featured Expert David Yeager, PhD   Research References Harnessing adolescent values to reduce unhealthy Snacking (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America) Values-Alignment Messaging Boosts Adolescents' Motivation to Control Social Media Use (Child Development)   Additional links Book: "10 to 25, The Science of Motivating Young People," by David S. Yaeger ‍Stanford Research into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising  Robert Jackler, MD Movie: Screenagers Under The Influence The Influence of the National truth® Campaign on Smoking Initiation   Time code 00:00 Introduction to Screenagers Podcast 00:36 The Art and Science of Communicating with Teens 01:22 Interview with Researcher David Yeager 02:26 Screenagers Under the Influence: Vaping and Juul 06:44 The Junk Food Industry's Manipulative Tactics 19:04 Impact of Anti-Smoking Campaigns 21:56 Conclusion and Call to Action