Sam Hiner of the Young People’s Alliance on holding big social media corporations accountable

Podcasts Archives • NC Newsline · Apr 7, 2026 · 14m

Sam Hiner, executive director of the Young People’s Alliance (Courtesy photo)

Despite its many benefits, few technological developments of the 21st Century have had a larger negative impact on the overall mental health and wellbeing of American young people than the rise of social media. And while no one can imagine putting the social media genie back in the bottle from which it came, a growing chorus of parents, educators, mental health professionals and advocates is calling for better and tougher regulation of the giant corporations that dominate this field.

And it’s in light of this that…