>> building a better bay area. . i'isten every day, we talk with experts about issues important to the bay area and get answers for you in real time. today, california neo-new wage transparency law has been in effect for about a month left since the start of the new year. is it helping workers get higher salaries? our employers avoiding hiring as a result? we will talk to the chief economist as it recruited to see how you can use a lot to your benefit. also tomorrow is national plan for vacation day. yes, it's actually a thing. we will talk to the travel experts at going, formerly scott's chief lights, for a look

into pricing trends and destinations and more. first, the u.s. surgeon general today sound an alarm that kids are accessing social media at too young of an age and it's causing them a great deal of harm. >> based on the debt i've seen, believe that 13 is too early and that is a time at early adolescence where kids are developing their identity and sense of self and it's a time where it's really important for us to be thoughtful about what's going into how they think about their own self-worth and the relationships. kristen: joining us live now is jim stier, the founder and ceo of common media, an organization that conducts research and provides information to parents. thanks for joining us. >> great to be here. kristen: do you agree with the surgeon general that 13 is generally too young for social media? >> i absolutely do with dr. murphy. he's an outstanding surgeon general. like me, he is a parent of several children. and he is a great leader on these issues. i think he is absolutely right,

that for many young people, 13 is actually too young in age for them to be on social media. let's be honest, most kids at that age and quite a bit younger are on social media platforms, like tiktok and youtube in instagram and snapchat. but i think he's absolutely right, because a lot of identity issues are still swirling, lots of body image issues, and there are serious issues around addiction and attention that really trouble young people. so i think that is a parents, i always say, one of the -- running the biggest kids media group in the country, delay, delay, delay. i think he is sounding a very proper alarm in this case. kristen: can i ask you some of the things you talked about in terms of harming kids' self-esteem, is there any evidence or research that can explain why that is especially the case for teenagers? >> yes, there is. in fact again, i run the largest organization in the u.s. that doesthese issues, common sense

media, i am sure many of your viewers know it, and we have actually seen lots of evidence that shows that a lot of kids are not emotionally prepared for issues like the comparison, the bullying, the fact that you are always trying to photoshop your image and trying to look cool or perfect. at a time when boys or girls simply are not ready. on platforms, there is a desire to be perfect and look great answer keep up with your friends. and it can be really damaging to kids' self-esteem and sense of social and emotional confidence. i think dr. murthy is spot on with his recommendation here. kristen:kristen: how did it become the general rule for these social media platforms to make 13 the technical minimum age on paper that you can get an account? >> it really started because the privacy laws of the united states

and so -- excuse me, under, this is essentially a business decision by the big platforms. they know it is for the kids under the age of 13, so that is why the official rule is 13 and up, but as our viewers know, this is actually not the case. you have kids on big social media platforms as young as 7-9 years old, exposed to inappropriate content, often times without the social/ emotional maturity to be ready to deal with all the different kinds of experiences you can have on a social media platform. kristen: right. >> a lot of kids don't have emotional intelligence or critical thinking skills at those young ages. kristen: is there a way that that age 13 is even enforceable? i know kids get their accounts before that, they find ways to start -- to skirt it.

is there anything that can be done? >> in europe and the u.k. where the european union and england headquarters are located, there's a big push towards age verification. because part of the problem now, if you take u.s. kids who are nine or 10, they can just sign onto a platform like instagram and claim they are 14 years old, and there's really no checking done. the platforms have done a poor job of being responsible. over the years, that's been particularly true about facebook and instagram but we see the same challenges on youtube, tiktok, and other platforms. there's definitely a need for this country to have better age verification laws. you would not sell beer to a 13-year-old. he would not let them buy cigarettes or ultraviolent video games, but now we pretty much allow kids unfettered roaming on the internet and social media. this is definitely an area that is ripe for legislation both in

sacramento at the federal level -- and at the federal level. i think you are going to be seeing important new legislation in california this year on some of these issues. kristen: do you have any idea what the laws might look like? you talked about age verification being one thing. what other key things you'd like to see happen? >> kristen: -- at the end of the day -- >> at the end of the day what we want to do is hold big tech platforms accountable for the impact they have on kids and teens and families. they are the biggest in the world, trillion dollar businesses in some cases, and they should be accountable for their impact on kids' lives, their education, and their social/emotional/cognitive development. i think you are going to see at least one major new law in california proposed about holding the platforms liable for this. we passed the age-appropriate design code last year.

in 2018, we passed the california consumer privacy law that affects all californians. essentially the national standard. i think what you are saying is a groundswell from the bottom. this is what dr. murthy is referring to, of parents and educators who are concerned about how kids are growing up on social media platforms and want those platforms on the countable -- those platforms held the countable to provide safety for our kids. kristen: while we wait for those lost a pass, you do have recommendations for parents. talk about these. walk us to be patient, be safe, keep communicating. what does that mean? >> the patient really means, the longer we give our kids time to mature, the better off they will be on a social media platform. that's why i said delay, delay, delay. just because your kid asks for an iphone at age eight does not mean they should get one, just because they want to go on to or youtube when they are seven or

eight does not mean they should go on and you should allow them. you have to be patient and delay. being safe is you have to decide when your kid is appropriately aged for social media. and then you make sure they know about privacy and don't give out information about themselves. private personal information. in terms of keep communicating, that's the ultimate message to all parents. i'm the father of four kids. you simply have to have an ongoing dialogue with your children today about their experiences on social media. you don't have to be overly judgmental. but you do have to listen to them and also share with them your values and your thoughts and have an ongoing communication and dialogue with their children about the 24/7 social metta world many of them live in. this is the essence of parenting in the modern age. use common sense. photo common sense dot org and see a ton of tips on how to parent for this.

this is a critical time for your kids' maturation and growing. dr. murthy is right, the longer you wait, the better. kristen: what is your opinion on this, i have two teens mysel and one thing we struggle with is do we insist on them allowing us to follow them for example on instagram and letting us see what they are communicating with their friends, or do we give them the space? because the older that scene, the more separation they want. they don't want you to be too intrusive. >> it depends on the age of your kid. i have four kids are older than yours. i think you have to trust them, that's what you have to have the ongoing communication and dialogue. but i also think that in some cases, it really depends on the individual child -- not all kids are the same as you know. i'm sure your kids are not the same. when certainly are not. you have to have ongoing discussions with them and trust them. if you want to follow them, that's fine. but you have to think about a platform like instagram which is

basically full of photos where kids photoshop their body images, girls and boys constantly comparing themselves to each other, so it is an area where you have to have ongoing conversation and it is fine to set limits and just say no, you are not allowed to be on that platform and i'm not going to give you a phone until you are in eighth grade or high school. i think it is important you set the rules as a parent and stick to them and then force them. and trust your own judgment and use common sense. kristen: all right, jim stier, founder of common sense media. really appreciate the conversation. >> go to talk with you kristen, good luck as a mom. kristen: coming up next -- posting pay rates on job listings. it is a new law in california for the new year. will it benefit you? we will get answers on

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kristen: one of the many new california laws that took effect at the start of the new year is wage transparency. companies with 15 or more employees are now required to post the salary range on their job listings. the hope is this will help close wage gaps. especially common for women and people of color. but one month into the new year and the new law is the hope of being realized. how can you use this to earn a higher salary? join us live to answer those questions and more is julia pollock, chief economist at that recruiter -- at zip recruiter. thank you for your time. sb 1162, one month learned interesting things. the engineers make from 90 to 900,000 dollars. the main purpose of this is to close the wage gap. is that a big problem, which

cap, across industries -- wage gap, across industries? >> there are many industries where wage is very transparent. you know you are going to make $18 an hour in fast food. there ar industries -- there are industries in tech where many salaries can be dependent. what this law will likely due to companies is for them to come up with epee philosophy and articulate their goals, what they hope to achieve with pay and then to have more transparent, disciplined pay policies and systems. kristen: if you have to put a range up, theoretically, that benefits the employees or candidates, right? >> so there is asymmetric information in job interviews, typically the employer knows pretty much what they are prepared to pay, and the job seeker often has no idea.

a really interesting recent study done on an platform for engineers found that when the platform told freelancers what the average pay was, on the jobs they were bidding for, the bids of especially more experienced women, came up and the pay gap completely vanished on that platform. so in places where there is wide variation in pay and some candidates just may have no idea what the going rate is, this could really help those candidates. kristen: does this law apply only to new hires? do employers only have to put those numbers up one they are posting for -- when they are posting for a new job or doesn't work for people already employed, who have a job and want to know, where do i start up, compared to my coworkers? >> this applies to postings, job postings for new employees.

and perhaps also for promotions and internal transfers. any time a company is hiring someone, even someone internally, they are supposed to post the wage. the reasonable wage range they expect to pay. in the case of netflix. , netflix's pay philosophy has been articulated since 1999 and it is to pay people at the top of their personal market. and that means that, they say, some people based on the scarcity of talent and what it would cost to replace them could see their wages rise very quickly, and other people might see their wages stay flat year after year. some want to pay people different amounts and fight for the very top talent. . other companies prioritize equities -- prioritize equity and want a sense of trust among their employees. kristen: for someone already working within the company, let us say there is no job transfer or moving to a different area, they just want to know, can they

walk into hr and safer people working in my role, what is the range? ? do they have to give it? >> yes. right now, about 80% of companies say they do actually set internal pay ranges. but only about 40% and employees or jobseekers what those ranges are. there's a big imbalance information. now you should be able to go to hr and say, what is the pay range for this position? and they will have to tell you. kristen: got it. this certainly does sound like it is beneficial and puts more power in the hands of applicants. but are there benefits here for employers as well? >> there are huge recruiting benefits for employers when they post pay. when employers post pay, they get about 50% more applications and twice as many high quality applicants. so there can be much more efficiency in search matching for candidates applying

for the job, that can help recruiters from going through lots of interviews for candidates time, so on the one hand, you have this leading to greater efficiency, on the other hand, higher engagement, higher quality candidates. kristen: are there any worries that in this type of tough economy and job market which may be not as many jobs as there were a year ago or two years ago, that this lame because employers do not post job listings and not higher? >> let's say you are an employer and have three people earning 50,000 dollars each in a row and you want to bring on a fourth, but you would have to pay someone 75,000 dollars to fill that role now. posting that publicly may require you to raise pay for the three incumbents to $75,000, doubling the increase in your wage growth from what you would've hoped for.

and that may give you pause. so absolutely. there are some possible drawbacks here. we could see employers finding it harder to be flexible and reactive to market conditions. kristen: the upsides and downsides of the transparency law in california, julia pollock with zip recruiter, thank you so much. kristen: coming up next, we will talk travel transfer 2023. what you will want to plan ahead now for all your trips for this year. stay with us i'm jonathan lawson here to tell you about life insurance through the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85, and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three ps. the three what? the three ps? what are the three ps? the three ps of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54 and was a smoker, but quit.

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use this valuable guide to record your important information and give helpful direction to your loved ones with your final wishes. and it's yours free just for calling. so call now for free information. kristen: if january has seemed like a long month and you're ready for vacation, you are right on trent. tomorrow is national plan for a vacation day, to encourage us all to plan our vacations for the year. joining us live to share travel planning tips is katie m., travel expert with going, formerly scott's chief like. welcome to the show. >> thanks so much

for having me. kristen: i didn't know there was a day for this, who came up with this, the travel industry? how did you open january 31? [laughter] >> that's a great question. this is a yearly tradition but on by the u.s. travel association. it's to highlight the fact that more than half of americans don't take advantage of their paid time off that there aren't -- that they are entitled to. while we have hectic schedules and things happen throughout the year, recognizing one day to take a breath, take a beat, look at your calendar throughout the year and plan out some trips so you can really take advantage of great deals when they come about and take advantage of the joy and amazingness that is travel. kristen: i think it is a good time to start thinking about that. but why do you also just planning for the whole year -- suggest planning for the whole year right now all that once? >> i think o -- of us get busy and don't

dedicate enough time to the things in life they enjoy. we put out a state of travel survey, where a lot of our subscribers, 82% of them that responded to the survey note that travel is a critical component and they value it and it would even -- they would even things up -- they would even give things up like pizza and netflix. [laughter] kristen: 82%. kristen: 82%, yeah. i know you're are looking at trends. we want to show folks one of the graphics about how much more people plan to travel this year. take a look at this. walk us through. >> for short. you know, basically people are looking to travel more internationally, about 60% are looking to travel internationally, as well as over 40% nearly half are looking to travel more domestically, and think about two international and to domestic trips over the course of the year.

while people are concerned that the recession might quell their ability to travel, people are willing to give things up to be able to take these trips and they value the travel. with going, you are able to serve quite a bit, like before coming on here i just did a quick search and if you wanted to go away in march, we are seeing $158 round-trip to denver, palm springs, maybe take advantage of international travel, you can go to dublin for $529 round-trip from san francisco on full-service airlines, there are deals to be had from march as well as throughout the year. kristen: in the report on your website you also show a few other favorite international destinations from u.s. cities that have record low deals. here, look at this. seattle to tokyo,

philadelphia to lisbon. let's destinations, do you see to costa rica, $215 -- d.c. to costa rica, $215. those sound good. those are nonstop, right? >> those are really good deals. we find great deals throughout the year. yes, the 31st is definitely a day to look at times when you are about traveling throughout the year. but what we love to promote is flexibility about where you are looking at going. we have so many deals popping up throughout the year that maybe a destination that you never thought of as a great airfare deal from san francisco. and why not take advantage of it and explore a new place? kristen: even with the forecasted trend of more people taking more trips, you think the airline tickets and hotels, there are still actually deals to be had with such high-volume? >> yes. last year, despite airfare being

up about 36% over the course of the year, it has actually been falling, sex out of the past seven months. while it did spike in me, it has been dropping. -- while it did spike in may, and has been dropping. that will continue throughout. 2023. there are still cheap to be had and we are hopeful that it will continue to drop throughout the year. kristen: is there any general best practice tips forgetting the best deals -- for getting the best deals? like which they of the week to fly, things like that? >> while there is no specific date and time to book travel that will make it the absolute cheapest, airfare is volatile. it could go up and down at any moment. are definitely cheaper days of the week the travel and that is a tuesday, wednesday, and saturday. mondays and fridays are typically larger days for business travel, while a

tuesday, wednesday, and saturday are better for leisure travelers, there are less crowds. business travelers want to start their day in wherever they are going to and end their week back at home, so just avoiding those days can help you save even up to 40% in some cases. kristen: wow. money savings and getting away from the crowds is the best part. thank you so much. really appreciate your tips. >> thanks so much for having me. kristen: a reminder, you can get our live newscast, breaking news, weather and more with our abc7 bay area streaming app, available on apple tv, google tv, fire tv, and roku. search "abc 7 bay area" and download it now.

kristen: thank you so much for

joining us for "getting answers." we will be here every weekday at tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air. the late developments in the tyre nichols case tonight. two emts and a driver fired. and two more memphis police officers relieved of duty. also tonight, the treacherous ice storm. multiple accidents coming in already. 50 million americans on alert tonight for ice and brutal cold across multiple states. in memphis tonight, we have learned two more officers, a sixth and seventh officer, now put on leave. authorities say one of those officers, his hands visible in the video from the tyre nichols traffic stop. they say it was his body camera that showed nichols' first encounter with memphis officers. that officer deploying his taser and later heard saying, i hope they