>> jimmy: thanks to halle berry, mike tyson and old dominion. apologies to matt damon. "nightline" is next. thank you for watching, goodnight. ♪ this is nightline. >> tonight, the secret life of teens online. >> i think parents don't know the majority of what teens are doing on their phones. >> shocking revelations. what they're really doing on those devices. >> how many of you were asked to

send a nude of yourself? if i could be as famous as kim kardashian, i would release my sex tape. i call it algorithm pressure. it's like the new peer pressure. >> how an eye opening project hopes to spark change. plus, miranda lambert won't take nothing but a memory from the house that built me the that built the superstar. sharing some of the secret sauce in her new music. >> we were having some tequila and getting real about past experiences and relationships and how the love of her life, a former nypd officer, might have found a new calling. >> you have a very special co-writer on one of your songs, co-writer on one of your songs, nightline will be right back th , no wonder it's the number one dry cat food in america. come home to cat chow. ♪

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>> good evening. thank you for joining us tonight. teens are facing pressure from influencer, from predators, and from their peers every time they look at their phones. a rare social experiment has tracked the traffic of a group of young people for behind the scenes look at the question. is technology reshaping childhood? here's nightline co-anchor juju chang. >> what do you think? parents don't know about what their teens are doing on social media? >> i think parents don't know the majority of what teens are doing on their phones. >> sidney shear says she kept a

lot of secrets even when she was cyberbullied, fueled in part by the sexualized pictures she posted of herself online. >> social media is more about looking good and appealing to what other people like. and i, like tagged my instagram account like so people would be like, oh, she's like hot. i'll follow her instagram. i'm very close with my parents, but when i was going through cyberbullying, i think the last thing i wanted was to let my parents down. i was embarrassed, i was ashamed, and i think a lot of kids are, but it's important that we start this conversation. >> sidney is one of dozens of la teens who expose the secret life of teenagers live on social media in a new docu series, social studies. it examines a long list of the brutal realities of growing up online cyber bullying, racism, suicidal ideation and sexual assault. >> i always wanted to do this. >> the more time i spend on social media, more anxious, i feel. it is so scary that we are

allowed to actually do this. >> they volunteered to hand over the contents of their phones. screen recording. throughout the course of a school year. >> social media is kind of like the only way to communicate. >> it's the only way you feel connected to anyone. >> i could be myself. i need a perfect body. >> some of the revelations in the series. shocking. >> how many of you were asked to send a nude of yourself? >> if you put out content like kim kardashian did, maybe you'll get famous. if i could become a multi-millionaire with a giant company and, like, be as famous as kim kardashian, i would release my sex tape. >> it's not only sex, but race. that's addressed head on in social media. >> i definitely portrayed myself as like a white girl because in instagram, that's what made you popular. i didn't want to seem like a latina. i didn't want to seem like not like them. >> the series, coming at a time when there's a growing awareness about what the harms of social media can be. over the summer, the surgeon general called for a

warning label on social media in an op ed, saying, in part, the mental health crisis among young people is an emergency and social media has emerged as an important contributor. several states, including california, now passing legislation to ban or restrict cell phones in the classroom. >> i think we definitely are the guinea pig generation for social media. >> doctor dave anderson is a clinical psychologist at the child mind institute, the organization's research was cited in the surgeon general's 2023 advisory on social media. >> we have to be mindful of the network of support that we provide to adolescents. it's absolutely true that we're facing a youth mental health crisis. it's a complex crisis that requires comprehensive solutions. >> the filmmaker, lauren greenfield, has two sons hersel. she directed the critically acclaimed queen of versailles and frequently examines youth culture in her work. is it our imagination or is it harder to be a teen today? >> i think it's much harder to be a teenager. you know, i think one of the things that i took

away is how toxic comparison culture is. and social media is 24 over seven comparison and kids used to compare themselves against their friend group, maybe in their clique, maybe in their class or their school. now they're comparing themselves against the whole world and images that are fictionalized, that are manufactured, that are retouched, that are not real. when i was in high school at poly, i would post pictures that were just not normal to post for being a minor, but that's what you see online and on tv and everywhere. >> sidney says it was around her sophomore year at palisades charter high school, or poorly, when she started seeking attention online. >> what made you want to post such sexualized pictures when you were so young? >> i was definitely going through a very dark time and i did not know how to express myself the right way. i was seeking validation and attention

from others, so it made you feel good about yourself. definitely. >> there's a talk of a lot of the predators that are online and scouting young girls photos. did you get any of that kind of attention? >> there was definitely older people that were giving me attention. >> yes, through via comments. >> now a 20 year old film student at nyu, sidney says she learned from some of her darker online moments. >> high school sidney feels like a different person. i'm i'm not going to lie, watching the series, it felt like i was watching somebody else. and it's hard to look back and love that version of myself, but i feel that i have to. >> what we know from the literature is that girls are already more prone to what we call internalizing concerns, struggles with depression, struggles with anxiety, and that women are also more likely, at least to present with concerns about body image or with eating disorders. >> jonathan gelfand volunteered at a teen crisis hotline during high school, and got a front row

seat to some of social media's most toxic impacts. >> well, thank you for calling in and for sharing that with me. that must have been really scary to be talking to someone who's that much older, especially when you don't know them, right? >> we hear you talking to a young woman who has inappropriate sexual contact online. how prevalent is that? >> i think it's much more prevalent now than it was three years ago when that was filmed. and i think that's really concerning. i mean, you see in the news stories of teens who have experienced sextortion and end up committing suicide because of that pressure and, you know, not wanting to reach out for help while supporting other teens. >> he too, was struggling with his own pressures from social media, watching others post their college acceptances online while he faced rejection. >> when you set these high expectations for yourself and you're seeing other people's acceptances on social media. i think when you don't end up getting in these schools that you work so hard for, that can be really heartbreaking. >> i look at jonathan and i think like he has everything that a college would want.

>> there's just an overabundance of kids like that, right? >> you know, we see these kids who are like, i've got ten apps, i've got perfect sats, i've got these extracurriculars, and they're actually listing their stats on online and in episode three, i call it algorithm pressure. and it's like the new peer pressure. >> keyshawn domingo feels that pressure to yeah, yeah, money comes with a goal. >> i've always wanted. i wanted to bring the generation under me and my family into something better. >> he used social media to launch a music career and now has to keep up a flashy image for his followers. >> you got your top rappers with the most jewelry and top ten watches in the game, and how can i let the world see me as this, as the same person that i look up to? it's like, what's the point of a facade? just get, you know, be yourself. if you want to dress fly and you can afford the $1,000 shoes, then by all

means. but if you're living, check to check and you want to spend your last check on some shoes just to post them, there's no point. >> keyshawn became a dad at 18 and now co-parents his toddler with his ex. he says he's grateful for the opportunities social media has afforded him, and his advice for his son's generation. simple. >> i would say use it. don't let it use you. quote me for sure, but in order to help kids not get used by social media, greenfield says the burden can't be on kids alone. >> to self-regulate. is that the hope for you that audiences will be sparked into having conversations with their parents? >> absolutely. and i hope that people listen to the kids i think that they have ideas about solutions. and i think the discussion about what they're experiencing is going to create solutions. >> big tech starting to take note. last week, meta, the parent company of instagram, announcing new teen accounts that add mandatory restrictions

around privacy and sensitive content for kids under 16. >> the issue that we have with social media is that it was constructed with all the guardrails removed. social media was really created according to behavioral principles in a way that bypasses any of the sort of gateways in our brains. so that's where we want tech companies to hold themselves accountable for placing those guardrails back onto those apps. >> there is an increasing body of research that shows a correlation between social media and negative health outcomes. mental health, physical health. et cetera. what, if anything, do you think would be effective against it? >> i think legislation is important, and also, i think there needs to be more accountability on behalf of social media companies. you know, one of the things that i think about is how the social media crisis is akin to the opioid crisis. you know, pharmaceutical companies say the same thing about not being accountable. and look at the numbers there.

>> what would childhood look like without social media? >> i think it would have been a kinder place without it. and hopefully some regulations will come along. but i don't think that that will stop everything. you know, i think people need to learn and social media is a tool and it's also a weapon. and we need to learn how to use that appropriately. >> our thanks to juju social studies premieres with back to back episodes on friday, september 27th at 10 p.m. on fx. when we come back. miranda lambert tells us why her new album, postcards from texas has her coming full circle thing that she learned right there takes forever to learn

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>> welcome back. she's won three grammys and is one of the biggest country stars of her generation. but miranda lambert says her life is a balance of a lot of music and a lot of home life and, oh, a lot of farm animals. she sat down with abc's rhiannon ally. >> welcome, miranda. thank you. nice to have you here. good to see you. you're known for so many beautiful songs. the house that built me. i won't take nothing but a memory from the house that built

you've won three grammy awards. you're one of the biggest country stars on the planet. i read that you first started performing at around ten years old. when you think back to that ten year old girl, after all, you've accomplished, what would you say to her? >> it's crazy because that seems like a long time ago, but i can't believe the little girl that was ten is sitting here with you today. honestly, like, i have come a really long way and i've worked really hard and i'm happy to be here. >> so the last time i saw you was in texas in your hometown, at your parents house. i can't believe this is the first time in 20 years you've recorded an album in texas since that very first one. yeah. is there something special about recording it in texas? >> i feel like this record was full circle for me. i kind of wanted to go back home and start over where it all began, where all the inspiration came from 1617 going, i want to chase this dream. >> your first single from the album is called wranglers and i want everyone to hear it. let's

listen to wranglers from postcards from texas. if he ever loved her, he never let it show. >> if she didn't need him, she'd left him long ago. she set it on fire. and if there's one thing that she learned. wranglers take forever to burn. >> lighting it on fire literally again. >> that old, same old tricks. >> is this song something from your personal life? because i know a lot of your songs are very personal. >> my friend audra mae wrote this song. we were writing songs for another project, and i'm having some tequila and getting real about past experiences and relationships and it really feels like a song that could have been on, like one of my earlier projects. but that's why i called this record postcards from texas. it felt like each song was sort of a snapshot of something that's inspired me over the last 20 years, you've worked with so many huge stars,

but you have a very special co-writer on one of your songs on this album. >> it's your husband. it is? yes. he is a retired nypd police officer. did you know he could write country music? >> i think it's a shock to both of us. we were writing in 2020 just for fun. you know, when we were home a lot at our farm in nashville, and my friend john randall and i co-produced this record, and we were doing pre-production, which basically just means drinking tequila, talking about music. and that's how you make a record in texas. and so brendan kept popping in little ideas, and he was watching football, though, and i was like, do you want to be a co-writer? you want to turn the game off? and he did. and he has some of the best lines in the song. >> you actually met brendan here at abc at good morning america, where he was working. can you tell us the story about first meeting him? >> i was doing a song with my girl band called pistol annies. we were doing a song called i got my name changed back. i broke his heart and i took his money, got my name back. >> i got my legs back. >> and i was obviously not

looking around for my new boyfriend in new york city, but we just happened to cross paths and we invited him to our show that night. the girls did, and we only gave them one ticket, no plus one. >> they knew what they were doing, and he came to the show and just really hit it off. >> i'm from a family of first responders. i felt like we had a lot of common ground, and we've been married almost six years now. he's great. you met him at mom and dad's at your mom and dad's house. you really did it big. you came straight to the lamberts. like my hometown and everything. we immersed you. >> i could tell how important family was to you. can you talk about how your family has inspired your music and your career along the way? >> when i decided to set out on this journey like 1617, you know, my parents and i sat down and they're like, i was like, i don't want to go to college. i really want to write songs and chase the music. like that's what i'm called to do. and they really just have been my biggest support system. and my biggest fans. >> and you mentioned your husband brendan is from new york city and you are from texas. you

guys have a farm full of animals. what is farm life like for you guys? >> i had nine rescue dogs when i met brendan and he married me. anyway so it says a lot about him. >> did he put a cap on it like this is the limit. >> he's where he's he's put a cap on it now. but we have horses and goats and chickens and kitties. >> any chance of a tour with the new album postcards from texas? >> yeah, we're on the road next year. i'm never off the road. >> you're never off the road. you're in your airstream, right? yeah, exactly. all right. we can't wait to see that. and that new album is fantastic. thank you so much for being here. good to see you. you can stream miranda's new album, postcards from texas wherever you get your music. >> our thanks to rhiannon when we come back. the president of ukraine, volodymyr zelensky, sits down with abc's robin roberts for a very rare roberts for a very rare interview with my psoriatic arthritis symptoms. but just ok isn't ok. and i was done settling.

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>> and finally, tonight, ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy is here in new york for the united nations general assembly, a support for what he calls a victory plan. gma anchor robin roberts sat down with president zelenskyy on what his plan aims to do.

>> so your victory plan does it include. and i know you don't want to get into into details until you talk to the leaders. but negotiating with with russia and how can you trust someone. >> it's not about negotiating with russia. no it's about like i said, it's a bridge to diplomatic way. how to stop the war. the bridge is the plan of victory or victorious plan. it's a strengthening of ukraine, ukrainian army and ukrainian people. only in the strong position we can push. we can push putin to stop the war. diplomatic way. >> our thanks to robin. you can see more of her interview with president zelenskyy tomorrow morning on gma, and a 30 minute special streaming wednesday night on abc news live. that's nightline for this evening. we'll see you right back here tomorrow. thanks for the company, america. good night.

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