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As online gambling ads target teens, new laws are put in place to protect student privacy and well-being

Federal, state, and school rules aim to limit screen time and social media use

The Gist: As state-mandated school cell phone bans become more common, conversations are expanding beyond classrooms and into broader discussions about students’ overall screen time and tech use. At a hearing in mid-January, the Kids Off Social Media Act was proposed, which, if passed, would ban students under 13 from select social media sites and students under 17 from recommended algorithm-based content. As policymakers explore age-based limits and regulations around social media and algorithmic feeds, this moment offers an opportunity to listen to student voices and focus on building skills that help students use technology with intention, both in and out of school.

What to Know: More than half of U.S. states now restrict phones during class time, and many districts are considering even stricter rules. And now, nationwide laws are being considered at the federal level. Meanwhile, high-profile litigation, like the social media addiction lawsuit against major platforms, such as Meta and YouTube, is headed to trial, reinforcing how addictive design features can shape behavior and focus. 

However, a true comprehensive approach that supports students to be future-ready means we can’t have legislation without education. Which is why it’s uplifting to see states pairing cell phone policies with media literacy requirements. It’s clear that educators and policymakers want to equip students to make high-character decisions as they navigate their online world.

TSI’s Take: Balancing screen time is key. Limits applied through law or policy can certainly help. In fact, a study done by the Journal of the American Medical Association found that reducing students’ social media use for just one week can significantly improve student well-being. 

However, even with limits in place, education is still critical. Limiting a car’s speed doesn’t mean we can skip driver’s ed. The same goes for social media and technology, especially as these limits will be removed once a student reaches adulthood. 

At The Social Institute, we ensure that students gain modern life skills necessary to use devices and apps and engage in their daily lives in positive, healthy ways. 

Empowering Students to Strike a Balance

Helping students strike a balance means giving them tools they can use no matter what rules are in place. Through #WinAtSocial, students explore how dopamine and algorithms shape attention, why certain apps are designed to keep them scrolling, and how to pause and choose purpose over impulse. #WinAtSocial Lessons like One More Scroll vs. One More Goal encourage students to reflect on how they want technology, and the time they spend on it, to support their goals. 

How algorithmic ads are influencing teens to join gambling apps

The Gist: A new study reported by Today revealed that more than a third of teenage boys, ages 11–17, said they’ve participated in gambling in the past year. As a reminder, the legal gambling age in the U.S. is 18. The same research shows that 60% of 11–17-year-olds are seeing gambling ads on YouTube and social media, often delivered directly into their feeds through targeted recommendations and influencer content. These findings show how online influence, advertising, and platform design intersect with the everyday lives of students.

Rather than placing blame on the students, educators can use this as an opportunity to empower students to handle the pressure when they come across messages and behaviors that don’t always align with their best interests.

What to Know: Even though gambling is legally restricted to adults who are 18 and over, teens are finding ways to encounter and participate in gambling online through apps, unregulated websites, and content shared by peers or influencers. Algorithms and sponsorships can normalize risky behaviors, especially when teens lack the tools to critically evaluate why certain ads or messages appear in their feeds. While access is a factor, understanding the influence behind what they see is just as important as technical safeguards like age verification or parental controls. Being able to recognize and reflect on these pressures helps teens make choices aligned with their goals and values.  

TSI’s Take:  Online gambling has taken off in recent years as it has become legal in more and more states. To handle the pressure of these alluring apps, we can teach students to understand influence, make intentional choices, and stay true to their core values. When ads and algorithmic recommendations push certain behaviors into students’ feeds, they can benefit from support that helps them recognize those messages didn’t come across their screens by accident, but were delivered to impact feelings and decisions. That’s where the TSI Standards Find Your Influencers and Play to Your Core come in. #WinAtSocial Lessons aligned to these lessons help students recognize external pressures and weigh decisions in personal values, giving students perspective and agency online.

Educators can support students by helping them:

• Recognize how online influence works, from algorithmic recommendations to influencer sponsorships.
• Pause and question why a message or ad is appearing in their feeds.
• Reflect on their own goals and values before making decisions, rather than responding impulsively or to peer pressure.

Empowering Students to #WinAtSocial

Through #WinAtSocial Lessons, like Online influencers and their impact, students explore how online influencers can shape perceptions and behaviors while learning to make intentional choices. These skills equip students to navigate influence thoughtfully, protect their well-being, and make decisions that support their growth on and off screens, showing that guidance and reflection matter far more than rules alone.

New safety settings bill proposed in Connecticut to protect student mental health and privacy online

The Gist: Connecticut leaders are proposing a new bill aimed at helping students protect their mental health and privacy online. The plan would require social media platforms to recognize when users are under 18 and automatically apply stronger safety settings, such as making accounts private by default and limiting the use of addictive features. Push notifications for minors would be turned off overnight unless parents give consent, and families would have greater control over privacy and screen time. Lawmakers emphasize that the goal isn’t to ban social media, but to provide guardrails that support youth well-being.

What to Know: The Connecticut proposal highlights growing concerns about how social media design affects students’ mental health, sleep, and privacy. Lawmakers point to features like endless scrolling, autoplay, and late-night notifications as tools that can make it harder for young users to manage screen time and well-being. Privacy is also a major focus. Many students share personal information without fully understanding how platforms collect data or use it to shape what they see. 

While the bill would introduce stronger default protections for minors, privacy settings alone don’t teach students how to navigate digital spaces confidently. Students often say they value social media for connection and creativity, but feel overwhelmed by constant notifications and limited control over their feeds. For educators, this reinforces the importance of teaching students how platforms work, why privacy matters, and how to make intentional choices online, skills that support safety and well-being across platforms, regardless of changing policies.

TSI’s Take: The key takeaway is that students benefit most when they learn skills to protect their privacy and make intentional choices online. Even when rules and safeguards exist, we can empower students to understand how content reaches them and make informed choices that align with their values. By helping students understand what privacy settings are available to them and align their choices with their values, we give them the tools to stay safe and confident online, no matter what laws are in place.

How educators can equip students to protect their privacy online:

• Encourage students to explore and adjust personal app privacy settings.
• Normalize conversations about online safety as part of proactive education, not just after issues or incidents occur.
• Access #WinAtSocial Platform Playbooks that highlight features adults should be aware of within popular apps.

Through the #WinAtSocial Lesson, Personal App Privacy Settings, students learn how to navigate their apps safely, understand what their settings mean, and consider how their choices impact both privacy and well-being. By connecting their actions to their values and goals, students gain the skills to make informed decisions online. This approach emphasizes that empowering students with knowledge and reflection is just as critical as the rules themselves, helping them build confidence and agency in a constantly evolving tech-fueled and social media-filled world.

Empowering Students with Skills, Not Just Rules

As laws and policies continue to shape how students interact with technology, one truth remains clear: rules alone aren’t enough. When students understand how algorithms, ads, and platform design influence their choices, they’re better equipped to manage screen time, protect their privacy, and stay aligned with their goals. Reach out to explore our proactive approach that empowers school communities to pair smart guardrails with skill-building education to equip students to #WinAtSocial long after policies fade and adulthood begins.

The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in equipping students, families, and educators with modern life skills to impact learning, well-being, and students’ futures. Through #WinAtSocial, our interactive, peer-to-peer learning platform, we integrate teacher PD, family resources, student voice insights, and more to empower entire school communities to make positive choices online and offline. #WinAtSocial Lessons teach essential skills while capturing student voice and actionable insights for educators. These insights help educators maintain a healthy school culture, foster high-impact teaching, and build meaningful relationships with families. Our unique, student-respected approach empowers and equips students authentically, enabling our solution to increase classroom participation and improve student-teacher relationships. Through our one-of-a-kind lesson development process, we create lessons for a variety of core and elective classes, incorporating timely topics such as social media, A.I., screen time, misinformation, and current events to help schools stay proactive in supporting student health, happiness, and academic success.