Meta is adding new safeguards and monitoring tools for teens across its social platforms: parental controls on Messenger, suggestions for teens to step away from Facebook after 20 minutes, and nudges urging young night-owl Instagrammers to stop scrolling.

The features announced Tuesday come as Meta and other social media platforms face heightened pressure from lawmakers over the impact that their platforms have on younger users, who can be just 13 when they sign up for Meta's apps.

Messenger, Meta’s instant-messaging app, is adding parental supervision tools for the first time that are similar to those that exist on Instagram already: Parents and guardians can see how much time their teens spend on the chat tool, view and receive updates on their contacts list, and get notified if their teen reports someone.

Another new feature is the ability for parents and teens to have discussions directly through notifications if their accounts are synced up.

“We heard from parents and teens about the value they’re seeing from how a two-way dialogue can foster and encourage discussions,” Diana Williams, who oversees product changes for youth and families at Meta, told CNN in an interview.

On Facebook, Meta will start to nudge teen users to take time away from the app after 20 minutes.

Instagram will add introduce a new nudge that suggests teens close Instagram if they’re scrolling Reels videos for too long during nighttime hours. The effort builds on existing Instagram features like Quiet Mode, which temporarily holds notifications and lets people know if you’re trying to focus.

In addition, Instagram is testing a feature that limits how people interact with non-followers. Users must now send an invite to connect with someone if they’re not a follower, and they cannot call the recipient or send photos, videos or voice messages or make calls until the user accepts their request. The feature aims to cut down on unwanted content from strangers, particularly for women, the company said.

It’s the latest in a series of new tools and guardrails for teens from Meta, following the release of leaked internal documents that found Instagram can negatively impact the mental health of its young users. Instagram, for example, has since introduced an educational hub for parents with resources, tips and articles from experts on user safety.

The company said it’s also taking a “stricter approach” to the content it recommends to teens and will actively nudge them toward different topics, such as architecture and travel destinations, if they’ve been dwelling on any type of content for too long.

Few changes have been made to Facebook and Messenger until now. Facebook does, however, have a Safety Center that provides supervision tools and resources, such as articles and advice from leading experts.

When everything came to a screeching halt at the beginning of the pandemic, parents had no choice but to start in-home care. Ever since, childcare facilities have been facing many changes and trials trying to get back to pre-pandemic levels of children and staff.

Sunset Academy is one of the hundreds of thousands of childcare facilities across the nation that hit a major roadblock at the start of the pandemic. Director Samantha Emmer says Sunset Academy reopened after two months, but with very few kids and teachers.

"We went from actually being at an enrollment of 120 students, which is full capacity, to 27 when we reopened," Emmer said.

Emily Bustos leads Denver's Early Childhood Council, a nonprofit that is part of a national network called Child Care Aware of America.

"We all work to do systemic change in early childhood, as well as provide governmental grants, funding, coaching and training to early-learning providers," Bustos said. "[The pandemic] has been really rough on childcare providers. We did see some sites closing permanently after the pandemic. And right now, what we're experiencing is more of a workforce shortage crisis, if you will, around having enough qualified teachers to actually open, reopen classrooms or keep them open."

She says the best way to attract teachers is to offer a living wage and career pathways to grow. That's exactly what Emmer says they had to do at Sunset Academy.

"We would provide things like sign-on bonuses," Emmer said. "We provided opportunity for staff to be able to reach their credential of becoming a lead teacher if they reached that credential during a certain time period. We would give them another extra bonus, and so that would help us to retain them and it would give them a solid job as well."

However, paying teachers more means parents must pay more.

"The cost of child care was already unaffordable for many families, especially if they have more than one child," Bustos said. "The pandemic has sort of increased that challenge in that there again are fewer teachers, but really there is a movement to pay them more of a living wage."

According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, childcare providers made an average of $12.40 an hour in the year 2021. Bustos says the industry needs more public investment.

"I think, in general, there's a broad need for recognition of early learning services as essential for working parents, and I think we need to engage with the business community," Bustos said.

Bustos says incentive for well-trained educators is especially important due to kids returning with greater social-emotional needs.

"There's a lot more challenging behaviors that we're finding amongst the little ones," Emmer said. "So just being able to teach them and to show them positive ways of interacting with one another now, because they didn't have that, you know, some families had one child, no siblings. That child was at home alone. They didn't learn those social-emotional ways."

Emmer says there were a few benefits to the pandemic. It gave Sunset Academy an opportunity to restructure and now they're working toward becoming an English-Spanish bilingual school. She says it also helped parents to feel more sympathetic toward providers after child care was temporarily taken away.

"It can be emotionally draining sometimes," Emmer said. "Of course, it's very rewarding, but it is a lot. I think that they have a little bit of more appreciation, gratitude and understanding at what early childcare teachers really do."
 

RALEIGH, N.C. — Every Thursday afternoon, come rain or shine, college students start lining up. Homemade baked goods are set out on tables and hugs are ready.

Meet the group known as the Free Moms.

"Here you'll find free mamas, papas, grandmas, and dogs,” said Nancy Nelson, who founded the group several years ago at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. "I just say, ‘Welcome back home. Do you feel a little home?’ And every kid goes, 'Yeah,' and I say, 'Good. I hope it's more every week!'"

All of her kids are grown, but Nelson felt a need to help students here feel less alone.

"We do feel like their mamas," she said.

What started with one mom now numbers more than 80 moms and dads, including Kate Theriot and her husband, Tom.

"Nancy started sharing what she was doing over here and to be honest, I was like, 'Not my wheelhouse. Not that, no. That's not what I do,'” Kate Theriot recalled, “but Tom always says I make best friends in the grocery store in line."

With that, they both began volunteering.

"I went to school here. I graduated in 1982,” Tom Theriot said, “and I remember how stressful it was to be here and it seems like stress has been built up so much more. "

So, along with 80 other parents, they all lend an ear, share a kind word or offer a hug. It quickly gained a fan following among the students.

"I just felt like it was a really awesome opportunity to get a piece of home and connect with people," said student Alaina Kelly.

Anna Thomasson accompanied Kelly out to the “Free Moms” gathering.

"I thought, 'Hey, that's so cool,' and you get a great homemade snack,” Thomasson said. “So, I love it! I think it's really great."

Student Sydnie Parks makes sure she stops by each week to say hello to Kate Theriot.

"I'm always like, 'Let me get to the Free Moms because it's not really about the deserts. I will take free food. I am a college student. But what the moms do is just really nice and just gives extra support that the students really need," Parks said.

A 2021 Healthy Minds study collected data from more than 370 college campuses around the country and found that 60% of students met the criteria of facing at least one mental health issue.

In addition, 12% of college students across the country reported contemplating suicide. At NC State, four students died by suicide last semester, driving home the mission for these free moms and dads.

"There's been a lot of suicides on campus, and there's a real need for people to be brought out of the shells and just be in a positive place," said Tom Theriot.

Kate Theriot says she sees how the students react to their presence.

"They're so moved because they just don't expect anyone to be thinking about them and to not only think about them but to do something about it,” she said. “And that's what we want to do; we want to do something that lets the students know they're not alone."

It's an isolation some students say can be easy to feel when you're away from home.

"I'm actually a transfer student here. I transferred from App [Appalachian State University], which is about three hours away from here,” said student Aniston Boswell, “and this would have helped me a lot up there because I didn't have my parents up there and just knowing that this is here helps a lot of students here."

Nancy Nelson said she would like to see Free Moms start popping up on college campuses nationwide.

"When anyone gets out of their comfort zone and gives unconditional love, it changes them again,” she said. “It changes the person. It changes the atmosphere and that's what this world needs.'"

It’s also what these students are getting.

Manufacturers and retailers both pointing the finger at each other for the shortage. Joan Driggs the VP of content and thought leadership for IRI market research company, explains.

Alex Livingston: So, what are some of the contributing factors that are causing baby formula shortages at some retail locations?

Joan Driggs: I think it's a couple of things. First of all, it's a far different purchase than anything else that you buy in the store. There are shared supply chain challenges all across the board with Omicron trying to keep, or keeping truckers off the roads, keeping people out of stores able to stock the shelves, keeping people in manufacturing plants away from work. So that's shared across the entire supply chain. But what's unique to baby formula is that it's such an emotional purchase. You know, this is not buying breakfast cereal for the family where if your preferred brand or your preferred size isn't available, you can find other options that will tie you over. This is something that you really, these caregivers, these parents, and others really depend on for the baby's nourishment and it's not an inexpensive purchase. 

Alex Livingston:  You know, and that is so true. I didn't even think about that last part that you mentioned, but your data showed that Americans spent $4.3 billion in 2020, and 4.5% from that's up 4.5%. So how has the pandemic in particular played a role in the need for formula?

Joan Driggs: I think that it's not necessarily the pandemic, that's putting the need for formula, the need for formula is always going to be there, it makes me laugh like when we talked about the pandemic at the outside, people went off and bought bottled water and bottled water wasn't an issue, this is strictly just to keep people, you know, babies nourished and I think what happens and why there is maybe more purchase is because of the tighter supply.

If you're someone shopping for baby formula and you see that there are only a couple of cans of your 20 or 30-ounce baby formula that you really prefer, you're probably going to buy them if you can afford to because you're afraid that the next time you go to the store it won't be there and that's exacerbating the problem. 

Alex Livingston: Yeah. So, what do you think is the solution then to this issue I think a lot of it is it's out there like in some way shape, or form, it's probably out there? 

Joan Driggs: Every manufacturer wants to ensure that their customers are happy. Every retailer wants to ensure that their customers are happy. So, I think it really will be dependent on manufacturers making sure that they're getting their most preferred brands out there and then consumers understanding if the size that they prefer or the format that they prefer isn't available like one of the really growing categories, same formula but in ready to drink has been hit just as hard or even a little harder because it's so convenient. 

Alex Livingston:  So, if you have to mix your own, that's a solution, interesting. Okay, so we have about 30 seconds left so really quickly, what does your data predict about the demand for baby formula over the next year?

Joan Driggs: I think again across the board, things are going to level off as manufacturers get their full production up to speed as our supply chain keeps rolling and as retailers are able to stock those shelves, but for now people just have to be a little bit more patient shop around as best they can, and of course maybe try not to stockpile, which would help the whole thing level off.

Alex Livingston at Newsy first reported this story.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a Thursday warning to consumers and parents over a suffocation hazard with multiple Leachco, Inc. products made for infants after multiple infant deaths were reported the agency says.

The U.S. CPSC says to stop using Leachco's Podster, Podster Plush, Bummzie and Podster Playtime (the “Podsters”) infant loungers. The agency also said the beds now need a required warning notifying the public right away of the potential suffocation hazard.

According to CPSC two previous reports of infant deaths have been received. The agency said that the two infants were placed in a "Podster" and suffocated when they changed position and their noses and mouths were obstructed either by the "Podster" or another object. The infants were 17-days-old and 4-months-old.

CPSC says that it has advised parents and caretakers that the best place for a baby to sleep is on a firm, flat surface in a crib. A firm surface in a bassinet or a play yard is also safer. The agency says that infant loungers like Leachco's "Podster" are not safe for infants to sleep on, and says that babies should always sleep on their back.

CPSC says they are considering filing an administrative complaint in order to further protect consumers from the hazard.

In a statement Leachco, Inc said that the company "rejects CPSC's claims," and wrote that their "Podster" product is "specifically designed to help with daytime care of awake infants for the countless times each day when parents and caregivers need to free up their hands for the activities of daily life."

On Wednesday, U.S. product safety regulators issued a recall for 333,725 Mushie & Co. FRIGG Silicone Pacifiers after they were found to present a choking hazard for babies. It was discovered that the nipple on the product has a fine slit that can cause it to detach from the plastic shield.

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — Hundreds of schools across the country have joined a lawsuit against the makers of JUUL vape products. The nationwide effort is aimed at reducing e-cigarette use among teenagers. While it's been an ongoing suit over the last few years, the latest to join is Indianapolis Public Schools.

Amy Peak is the director of Undergraduate Health Science Programs at Butler University. She points out the prominence of underage e-cigarette use is still a major health issue they are working to combat.

“From a health professional standpoint, the challenge is we haven’t done anything to decrease nicotine addiction. While we have absolutely decreased combustible cigarette smoking, we’ve just replaced those risks with different types of risks," Peak said.

School districts from California to New York have signed onto a lawsuit that could shape the future of e-cigarettes. The districts claim that JUUL Labs. Inc. targeted teens in the marketing of their products, harming the schools that educate those kids in the process.

“We are shifting the risk so maybe the risk isn’t as much lung cancer as it was previously, but we see completely different types of lung disease. We see higher addiction rates and then we see more gateways into other things," Peak said.

Peak says the problem, at this point, reaches far beyond JUUL.

“I think that JUUL was the leader of the pack. It became a verb not a noun. People juuled, they were juuling," Peak said.

The company stopped selling flavored products in 2019. They also pulled all U.S. advertising.

“They have taken some very responsible steps and likely ahead of some legislation that was inevitable," Peak said.

Windi Hornsby is the parent of two students within Indianapolis public schools.

“I think about how easy it was for me to start smoking, I can’t imagine how much easier it is for a kid to, if they can get their hands on it, to become addicted to some fruit-flavored to candy flavor e-cigarette," Hornsby said. “I think that’s just another facet for our school district caring about our children’s safety.”

She worries this lawsuit won’t go far enough to fight teenage e-cigarette use.

"It needs to be targeted as an industry-wide thing which would probably come with legislation and our law makers doing something on that end," Hornsby said.

More than 2 million U.S. youth currently use e-cigarettes, according to the 2021 Annual National Youth Tobacco Survey. Of that group, most teenagers are using flavored e-cigs. About 1 in 4 use them daily.

“So, what you see now are things like puff bars that are all of those really enticing flavors. There is no difference between a puff bar and a JUUL, other than one is not a reusable device," Peak said.

JUUL says it is trying to be responsible. In response to the survey the company acknowledged, “We will only be trusted to provide alternatives to adult smokers if we continue to combat underage use, respect the central role of our regulator and build on our shared commitment to science and evidence.”

“I think there is a misperception that e-cigarettes aren’t as dangerous. You can’t see the tobacco-like you can see it in a cigarette. So, I do wonder if people just think oh this is safer and you do hear about people going to e-cigarettes as a ween to go off of smoking,"Hornsby said.

“Very often, it’s to self medicate for anxiety that’s uncontrolled, sometimes it’s from a depression standpoint. The use of nicotine and other addictive substances and mental health disorders go hand in hand," Peak said.

Peak says we can’t combat this issue, without working on a larger issue: adolescent mental health.

“I’m very concerned that we have a larger number of youth addicted to nicotine than we had previously, we were making good progress and all of that progress is going away," Peak said.

Guns used in U.S. school shootings have often come from the homes of young perpetrators, but parents are rarely charged for the violence that occurs, experts say.

That's what makes the case against Ethan Crumbley's parents uncommon, following the fatal shooting of four students at Oxford High School in southeastern Michigan. Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald said Jennifer and James Crumbley ignored opportunities to intervene, just a few hours before the bloodshed.

They're charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, while Ethan, 15, is charged as an adult with murder, terrorism and other crimes.

The Crumbley parents and their lawyers haven't commented on the shooting or the charges.

Here's a look at the issues facing the parents:

What do we know about the gun?

The semi-automatic handgun used in the shooting Tuesday was purchased legally by James Crumbley on Nov. 26 while his son stood by at the shop, according to investigators.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, Jennifer Crumbley referred to it on social media as a "Christmas present" for her son, and Ethan posted a picture of it on social media, calling it his "new beauty," McDonald said.

With some very limited exceptions, minors in Michigan aren't allowed to possess guns. But there is no Michigan law that requires owners to keep guns locked away from kids.

"So many states do. There's 23 states plus Washington, D.C., that have some form of a secure storage law," Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said.

Will involuntary manslaughter be tough to prove?

"It's an unusual charge to bring," said Eve Brensike Primus, who teaches criminal procedure at University of Michigan law school.

Police said Ethan Crumbley emerged from a bathroom and started shooting other students in the hallway at Oxford High. A few hours earlier, he and his parents had met with school officials. A teacher had found a drawing on his desk with a gun pointing at the words, "The thoughts won't stop. Help me," according to the prosecutor.

Ethan, who had no disciplinary record, was told to get counseling but was allowed to stay in school. His backpack was not checked for a weapon, McDonald said.

Primus said authorities must show gross negligence by the parents and causation, or the act of causing something.

"The prosecutor is going to need facts to support the argument that these parents really knew there was a risk that their son would take a gun and shoot people dead," she said. "Not just that their son was troubled in some way. This is a homicide charge that carries years in prison. This is not a small charge."

In 2000, a Flint-area man pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter after a 6-year-old boy who was living with him found a gun in a shoebox and killed a classmate.

Why aren't parents charged more often?

A 2019 assessment by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security found that guns came from the home of a parent or close relative in 76% of school attacks where firearms were used. In about half, the firearms were easily accessible.

But laws aimed at restricting gun access are not always enforced and vary in strength, experts say.

"Our laws haven't really adapted to the reality of school shootings, and the closest we have are these child access prevention laws," said Kris Brown, president of the Brady gun control advocacy group

In 2020, the mother of an Indiana teen was placed on probation for failing to remove guns from her home after her mentally ill son threatened to kill students. He fired shots inside his school in 2018. No one was injured but the boy killed himself.

In Washington state, the father of a boy who killed four students at a high school in 2014 was convicted of illegally possessing firearms. He was not charged for the shooting, although one of his guns was used.

___

AP reporter Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this story.

California parents raise concerns over controversial high school quiz question

Updated: 3:45 AM EST Nov 9, 2021

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INVESTIGATIONS. KCRA 3 NEWS AT 10:00 ON MY58. BRIAN: CONTROVERSY OVER A HI STORY EXAM QUESTION. TONIGHT, SOME PARENTS AND STUDENTS AT WHITNEY HIGH SCHOOL IN ROCKLIN, WANT SOME SWANS FROM THE SCHL.OO IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A HISTORY EXAM, BUT SOME PARENTS TELL KCRA 3, THE TONE OF ONE QUESTION IN PARTICULAR SEEMED POLITICAL AND INAPPROPRIATE. BRANDI: KCRA 3’S MELANIE WINGO HAS MORE ON THE CONTROVERSY AT WHITNEY HIGH SCHOOL, AND HOW THE SCHOOL IS RESPONDING. >> I KNOW HE DOES PLAY AROUND A LOT BUT I DIDN’T THINK HE WLDOU TAKE IT THAT FAR. MELANIE: WORD ABOUT A WHITNEY HIGH SCHOOL SOCIAL SCIENCE TEACHER, AND QUESTIONABLE SET OF ANSWERS HE PLACED ON A MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUIZ, ALREYAD MAKING ITS WAY TO STUDENTS. >> I UNDERSTAND HE’S JUST TRYING TO MAKE A JOKE BUT THAT KIAND STUFF SHOULDN’T BE ON A TEST OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. MELANIE: AND SOME PARENTS WE HEARD FROM AGREE. THEY’RE CONCERNED THE TEACHER IS INJECTING HIS POLITICS INTO THE CLASSROOM SEINTTG, BASED ON THE QUESTION AND FOUR POSSIBLE ANSWERS BELOW IT. APPEARING ON THE QUIZ LIKEHI T "A GROUP OF COMPLETE IDIOTS. A. KKK. B. ALL OF FLORIDA. C. FOX NS.EW D. TEXANS." >> SCHOOL SHOULD JUST BE BASED, NOTHING LIKE ONE SIDE THE OTHER SIDE, KIND OF THING. I DON’T KNOW. THAT KIND OF THING SHOULDN’T BE HERE. MELANIE: FORMER STUDENTS OF THIS PA RTICULAR TEACHER SAY HE’S KNOWN TO JOKE AROUND. >> HE WAS ALWAYS LIKE A FUNNY KIND OF TEACHER. HE WOULD ALWAYS MAKE JOKES BUT THERE WAS TIMES WHERE HE WOULD KINDA JUST SAY STUFF WHOUTIT THINKING FIRST. MELANIE: IN RESPONSE TO THE QUIZ QUESTION CONCERNS, THE SOOCHL’S PRINCIPAL SENT OUT A MESSAGE TO STAFF, STUDENTS AND FAMILI.ES IT READS, IN-PART, "A QUIZ WAS ASSIGNED TO STUDENTS BY A SOCIAL SCIENCE TEACR.HE HOWEVER, STUDENTS, FAMILIES DAN THE ROCKLIN COMMUNITY HAVE RAISED CONCERN ABOUT THE CLASS ASSIGNMENT." ALTHOUGH THE ROCKLIN UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICCOT ULDN’T COMMENT ABOUT THE QUIZ ON CAMERA, THEY ARE INVESTIGATING IT. IN HIS MESSAGE, THE PRINCIPAL ALSO SAID, "THE WHITNEY HIGH SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION TEAM AND THE ROCKLIN UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT RECOGNIZES AND SHARES THEIR CONCERNS AND IS CONDTIUC A THOROUGH INVESTIGATION." THE SCHOOL, GOING ON TO SAY, "APPROPRIATE DISCIPLINARY STEPS WILL BE TAKEN." BUT THE SCHOOL SAYS "PERSONNEL MATTERS WILL REMAIN CONFIDENTIAL." IN ROCKLIN, MELANIE WINGO, KCRA BRANDI: WHITNEY HIGH’S PRINCIPAL ALSO

California parents raise concerns over controversial high school quiz question

Updated: 3:45 AM EST Nov 9, 2021

A multiple-choice question found on a social science quiz, administered by a high school teacher in California, caused concern among parents this week.Some parents said the question seemed political and inappropriate.Sister station KCRA 3 obtained an image of the question and the four possible answers below it, which appeared on the quiz this way:"A group of complete idiotsa) KKKb) all of Floridac) Fox Newsd) Texans""I understand he's just trying to make a joke, but that kind of stuff shouldn't be on a test," said Whitney High School student Joel Alquicira, who said he had the social science teacher in a previous year.Former students of the teacher said he's known to joke around."He was always like a funny kind of teacher," Alquicira said. "He would always make jokes."Watch the full story in the video above.

A multiple-choice question found on a social science quiz, administered by a high school teacher in California, caused concern among parents this week.

Some parents said the question seemed political and inappropriate.

Sister station KCRA 3 obtained an image of the question and the four possible answers below it, which appeared on the quiz this way:

"A group of complete idiots

a) KKK

b) all of Florida

c) Fox News

d) Texans"

"I understand he's just trying to make a joke, but that kind of stuff shouldn't be on a test," said Whitney High School student Joel Alquicira, who said he had the social science teacher in a previous year.

Former students of the teacher said he's known to joke around.

"He was always like a funny kind of teacher," Alquicira said. "He would always make jokes."

Watch the full story in the video above.