Thursday evening at Pullman Yards drew a crowd of adults, parents, and children, from grade-schoolers to teens, for the premiere of Carversations, Instagram’s new series that focuses on fostering honest conversations between parents and teens about social media and online life. The series is designed to make these discussions feel more approachable.
Grammy-winning singer Usher was the featured guest of the night, joining a panel with his sons, Naviyd Ely Raymond and Usher Raymond V. The discussion, moderated by radio personality Kenny Burns, focused on the challenges families face in a world increasingly influenced by social media.
Usher shared his perspective on parenting and the lessons he has learned along the way. “The hardest conversation I have to have with my kids is the opinions of others—they don’t define you,” he said. “You can learn from them [his kids] and not let the trauma of our past determine how they turn out.” His sons also contributed, offering their own experiences growing up in the prime of social media.
Kristin Hendrix, Meta’s VP of Strategic Partnerships for Trust and Safety, explained the purpose behind Carversations, saying the series is designed to help parents navigate online safety, screen time, and digital boundaries alongside their teens. By having these conversations side by side, sometimes even in a car, parents and teens can address topics that might otherwise be difficult to start. “Technology isn’t going anywhere,” Hendrix said, “and these conversations shouldn’t either.” She highlighted Meta’s family-focused tools, including teen accounts with default privacy settings, parent supervision features, and content moderation options for younger users, which aim to give parents insight into their teens’ online habits while still allowing teens space to explore safely.
The first episode also underscored that these conversations are ongoing. Parents had the opportunity to see how their teens view the digital world, and teens could share their perspectives without fear of judgment. Hendrix added that seeing figures like Usher engage with their children openly can serve as an example and encourage families to have similar discussions at home.
Overall, Carversations provided attendees with insight into bridging generational gaps in the digital age. By showing how parents and teens can communicate openly about social media and online life, the series demonstrated that these talks, while sometimes challenging, can be constructive and meaningful later on.
