Join the Cyber Policy Center on Tuesday, November 28th from 12 Noon–1 PM Pacific, for Centering Youth Voices in Pursuit of Healthier Social Media Experiences, a conversation with Vicki Harrison, Director of Programs and Partnerships for the Center for Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing in the Stanford Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. The session will be moderated by Jeff Hancock, co director of the Stanford Cyber Policy Center and is the final session of the Fall Seminar Series, a series spanning October through December, hosted at the Cyber Policy Center. Sessions are in-person and virtual, via Zoom and streamed via YouTube, with in-person attendance offered to Stanford affiliates only. Lunch is provided for in-person attendance and registration is required. This session will take place in Encina Commons, Moghadam Conference Room #119, 615 Crothers Way.

In the midst of a national youth mental health crisis, many parents, educators and policymakers are concerned about the role social media plays in contributing to these high rates of mental health needs. This has led to many new calls for legislation, lawsuits and policy reform. But to what extent are young people themselves contributing to these policy conversations? Are their ideas being considered and heard? In this talk, Harrison will explain why incorporating youth voice matters and how it can happen. By highlighting successful examples of youth co-design efforts from her work with the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing, she will describe some best practices for working with youth advisors and share several youth perspectives on social media policy, taken directly from the GoodforMEdia project that she co-developed with youth.

About the Speaker

As the Director of Programs and Partnerships for the Center for Youth Mental Health & Wellbeing in the Stanford Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vicki develops and implements a portfolio of community-based projects promoting wellbeing, early intervention and mental health access for youth ages 12-25. This includes bringing - allcove - an innovative, integrated youth mental health model, to the U.S. She co-led development of the allcove model at all stages -from its initial feasibility assessment, to fundraising, development of the allcove brand and related digital strategy and experience design, pilot implementation and establishment of the allcove technical assistance team that is currently supporting the establishment of one dozen allcove centers across California. 
 

Vicki also co-leads a national Media and Mental Health Initiative, partnering with the media, mental health and technology sectors to enhance the positive impacts of media on mental health. Along with a committee of passionate youth advocates, Vicki developed and launched the #goodforMEdia program, a peer mentoring project where teens offer peer support and educational advocacy by sharing strategies for supporting each other’s mental health when engaging with social media. She regularly speaks to national and international audiences on a range of topics related to youth mental health and media and has provided expertise to the United States Office of the President, Department of Homeland Security and the California State Legislature on social media’s impacts on youth mental health. Vicki was part of a multidisciplinary team that developed and published “The Tool for Evaluating Media Portrayals of Suicide (TEMPOS): Development and Application of a Novel Rating Scale to Reduce Suicide Contagion” in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health and has been training national audiences on its relevance and utility. Vicki also serves as a founding member of the TikTok US Content Advisory Council and has collaborated with a range of technology/media companies and non-profits on their efforts to improve youth mental health.