YouTube is teaching parents about “raising kids in the digital age”

Dr. Becky Kennedy claims that “parenting in 2026 is like being asked to speak a language nobody taught us.” To help demystify and translate that metaphorical language, Kennedy — who is known as Dr. Becky — will host a new series that will be released exclusively on YouTube.

In her podcast Good Inside, Dr. Becky dispenses parenting tips to caretakers who might be dealing with kids who are emotional, aggressive, or stubborn. Her new series, which will air on the Good Inside YouTube channel, will tailor that advice to fit the unique demands of the digital age.

Topics covered in the series will include screen time, digital literacy, and healthy boundaries. The initial run will consist of 12 episodes in all.

Exhausted parents will find a lot of useful nuggets in Dr. Becky’s upcoming episodes, but the series also seems to be considering YouTube’s critics. A recent court decision found YouTube liable for the addictive nature of its algorithm-driven feed. While YouTube is appealing that decision, it is also providing more mental health resources that can assuage the concerns of those who celebrated the initial verdict.

To understand how YouTube’s new series interacts with the platform’s critics, consider TikTok. The video app’s attempt to use labels to promote AI literacy didn’t fully click, so TikTok pivoted to a new strategy

based around educational content.

A recent report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate found that YouTube still recommends some eating disorder content to teen accounts years after the platform started cracking down on those videos. If technological means, taken on their own, are not enough to produce the teen mental health uptick YouTube’s critics are looking for, then maybe some educational content will do the trick.

“Parents consistently tell us they need credible, practical guidance for raising kids in the digital age,” says YouTube Director and Global Head of Public Health Dr. Garth Graham in a statement. “Bringing her trusted, judgment-free advice to YouTube is a perfect example of our commitment to making our platform a helpful resource for families.”

For years, YouTube has asked parents to help address the deleterious mental health effects of teen social media use. Dr. Becky’s series will equip those guardians with a resource they can use to tackle a complex and ever-changing topic.