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Early Start with Rahel Solomon
Zelenskyy: Ukraine, Russia To Hold Talks On Wednesday; Study Links Smartphones And Children's Mental Health; Malcolm-Jamal Warner Dies At 54 In A Drowning Accident. Aired 5:30-6a ET
Aired July 22, 2025 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:30:00]
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So this has somewhat characterized this whole process.
But in terms of expectations certainly President Zelenskyy has laid out an agenda that is very similar to what we've seen before in the previous two rounds of these kinds of talks.
He said he wants to discuss the return of prisoners. We've already seen multiple prisoner exchanges resulting from these talks. The return of abducted children. And the third and perhaps the most ambitious idea is the preparation for a meeting of leaders.
I don't think we get any sense that President Putin is in any hurry to meet with President Zelenskyy. He has made no secret of his view that Zelenskyy is illegitimate in his position as Ukrainian president because, of course, they did not hold elections as planned last year. It's unconstitutional in Ukraine because they're in a state of martial law. And a former Russian diplomat told me that basically President Putin does not want to meet with Zelenskyy because he doesn't see him as an equal.
I think if you're looking for one difference here this is -- this round, if it takes place, will happen with Ukraine in a slightly stronger position. Its biggest backer, the U.S., seems to be firmly on its side. It is now planning to send more weapons to Ukraine via NATO.
And we have 42 days left in that 50-day deadline that President Trump has set before he slaps, in his words, "tough sanctions" -- secondary sanctions on Russia. Whether or not that will move the needle for Russia we have no evidence of that as of yet. But certainly it's something that the Kremlin cannot ignore going into this even though we see no evidence that they are prepared to move away from the maximalist demands that they have laid out over the past two rounds -- MJ.
MJ LEE, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah. So we'll see if these talks happen at all.
Clare Sebastian in London. Thank you so much.
A new study is making the case for kids to unplug. When we come back, I'll speak to an expert on the impact smartphones can have on the mental health of young children.
Plus, it's the furry fab that's now sparked a counterfeit craze. How a Chinese company is cracking down on fake Labubu toys.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:36:40]
LEE: Parents might think twice before letting their kids have a smartphone after seeing the results of a new study. The research found that smartphone use before the age of 13 could damage the child's mental health. That includes suicidal thoughts, lower self-worth, and detachment from reality, especially among girls.
The data is based on surveys of nearly two million people in 163 countries. The results were so alarming that the researchers are calling for global restrictions to prevent children younger than 13 from using smartphones and social media.
Joining me now is Tara Thiagarajan, lead author of the study and founder and chief scientist of Sapien Labs, the nonprofit that runs the survey.
Tara, I'm really grateful to have you on this morning because this is such an important issue -- certainly one that I think about a lot as a mom to two little kids.
So first, tell us more about what your study found and why using smartphones before the age of 13 can be so damaging for kids?
TARA THIAGARAJAN, FOUNDER AND CHIEF SCIENTIST, SAPIEN LABS: Yeah. So the study found that every younger year that you get a smartphone before the age of 13 the more likely you are as a young adult, 18 to 30 -- you know, as a young adult to have mental health challenges.
And the challenges are not your typical -- the challenges associated with smartphones are not the typical depression or anxiety systems but are things like feeling detached from reality, suicidal thoughts -- even aggression and even hallucinations.
And the reason -- it seems to be that a lot of this is mediated through social media though social media is not everything that you get access to through the smartphone. But downstream of having a smartphone early is higher chances of experiencing cyberbullying and in the anglosphere, so in the United States even higher risk of experiencing sexual abuse and deterioration in family relationships, disturbance of sleep.
So all of these factors that come with having a smartphone when you're younger --
LEE: Um-hum.
THIAGARAJAN: -- can really impact much more during these vulnerable developmental years.
LEE: And can I just --
THIAGARAJAN: And so I think essentially -- go ahead.
LEE: Yeah, go ahead. No, I just -- I wanted to clarify is the issue not just the simple act of having access to a phone but specifically having access to social media apps on the phone?
THIAGARAJAN: Yeah. I think it's social media and content in general. Having unfettered access to content.
LEE: Um-hum.
THIAGARAJAN: You know, I think that when we -- you know, when we socialize children offline and outside of the virtual world, we're really doing a lot of observing of how they behave. You know, how they talk to other people, telling them don't talk like that or behave like this.
But when you give them the phone, I think they enter a world that's with no guardrails, with no instruction. There's no sort of parent typically sitting down and saying well, when you get online here is how you should comment. Here's how you should -- you know, here's the kind of language you should use.
[05:40:07]
LEE: Um-hum.
THIAGARAJAN: And so I think it -- you know, kids will go where -- explore and go places you don't want them to go.
LEE: Yeah. And you were so concerned by these findings that you're now calling for restrictions on kids under 13 using cellphones and social media. I mean, if you could have it your way what regulations and restrictions would you want to see? Like at what age would you allow a kid to use a cellphone and at what age do you think they could be allowed to use social media?
THIAGARAJAN: Well, I think from our data specifically 13 seems to be a pivotal point that before which the impact is much greater with each younger year. So definitely I think not having a smartphone until 13 seems to be -- seems to be wise. And even so, when you get a smartphone, I think it has to come with some level of instruction in the way that when we -- when a child starts driving that they have to go through driver's ed essentially so that it's not a free-for-all on the street.
And so I think we need to have a -- you know, internet literacy for kids in terms of how to interact on social media in a way that's not damaging. How to -- you know, restrictions on certain kinds of content and some kind of parental oversight even beyond 13 and the teenage years to have some guidance for them in terms of how they can use the internet. Because you don't put your child out there in the world and say just go anywhere, right? People are very -- parents are very concerned about safety elsewhere in the physical world and I think we need to have a similar level of concern in the virtual world. LEE: And one concern that many parents have is that yes, they recognize that cellphones and social media can be harmful but then they also worry that if their kid is the only kid to not have a phone that they'll be left out or maybe socially ostracized.
What do you make of this idea of parents creating a sort of collective pact so that it's not just your kid but all of their friends who also don't have phones or access to social media?
THIAGARAJAN: I think that's certainly helpful because it's very difficult to actually withstand the peer pressure of other --
LEE: Um-hum.
THIAGARAJAN: -- kids having phones and saying no to your child all the time.
But I think also it's -- there has to be some societal responsibility about this as well, and I think that there can be much more impact if, say, schools don't allow the phone in. Because you can make a pact with a small group of friends but you're going to meet new kids in your school and if they're bringing in a phone it becomes a temptation.
So I think we really need to have more collective action at the level of -- at the level of schools and potentially even in terms of more state level or national level mandates.
LEE: Yeah, and certainly more discussions about this important issue.
Tara Thiagarajan, thank you so much for joining us.
THIAGARAJAN: Thank you.
LEE: Crowds in New York City gathered outside the theater where "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT" is filmed to protests the planned cancellation of the show and to speak out against President Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PROTESTERS: Trump must go! Trump must go!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEE: Last week CBS said that "THE LATE SHOW" would not be renewed beyond May of next year due to financial reasons. That announcement also follows a move made by CBS parent company Paramount earlier this month, which agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit by President Trump against CBS News.
Coincidentally, Paramount is currently seeking government approval for a multibillion-dollar industry merger. Now critics are questioning the company's motive, particularly when it comes to Colbert who has long been a vocal Trump critic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, CBS "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": They clarified that the cancellation was purely a financial decision, but how could it purely be a financial decision if "THE LATE SHOW" is number one in ratings? A lot of folks --
AUDIENCE: (Cheering).
COLBERT: Yeah.
On Friday, Donald Trump posted, "I absolutely love that Colbert got fired. His talent was even less than his ratings."
AUDIENCE: (Booing).
COLBERT: How dare you, sir? Would an untalented man be able to compose the following satirical witticism? Go (bleep) yourself.
[05:45:00]
AUDIENCE: (Cheering).
JON STEWART, HOST, "THE DAILY SHOW": Watching Stephen exceed all expectations in the role and become the number one late-night show on network television has been an undeniable great pleasure for me as a viewer and as his friend. And now --
AUDIENCE: (Cheering).
STEWART: And now Stephen has been canceled for purely financial reasons. Eh? That fact that CBS didn't try to save their number one rated network late-night franchise that's been on the air for over three decades is part of what's making everybody wonder was this purely financial?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEE: Up ahead we take a look at the legacy and life of Malcolm-Jamal Warner who died this weekend at just 54 years old.
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:50:30]
LEE: Welcome back. I'm MJ Lee. Here are some of the stories we're watching today.
U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. today at the White House. The leader of the Philippines is hoping to negotiate a bilateral trade deal before Trump's proposed 20 percent tariffs on the country's exports begin in August.
A judge has sentenced a former police officer to 33 months in prison for using excessive force. Breonna Taylor was killed during a botched raid in 2020. Brett Hankison had fired 10 shots but hadn't hit anyone. He is the first person sentenced to prison in a case that sparked outrage and protests over police brutality in the U.S.
And at least 27 people, mostly children, were killed when a Bangladeshi Air Force jet crashed into a school on Monday. Students were attending afternoon classes when the jet hit the two-story building in the capital of Dhaka. Officials say a pilot, a teacher, and 25 children were killed in the crash.
New information is coming out about the accidental drowning of actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, best known as Theo Huxtable on "THE COSBY SHOW." Warner was in Costa Rica on vacation with his family when the tragedy happened. He was just 54 years old.
Elizabeth Wagmeister has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MALCOLM-JAMAL WARNER, ACTOR, "THE COSBY SHOW": Is this my shirt?
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Beloved actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner, best known for his role as Theo Huxtable on the iconic sitcom "THE COSBY SHOW" --
WARNER: If there's something I want that's not in the refrigerator I say yo, mom, we need some peanut butter.
WAGMEISTER: -- drowned while on a family vacation in Costa Rica, a source tells CNN. Investigators say he was swimming on the Caribbean coast on Sunday when a strong current pulled him and other individual out to sea. Beachgoers who came to his rescue were unable to resuscitate him.
The actor, director, podcaster, Grammy-winning musician, poet --
WARNER: I am tired of running for shade.
WAGMEISTER: -- and father of an 8-year-old daughter was 54 years old.
Malcolm-Jamal Warner was named after Malcolm X and Ahmad Jamal.
WARNER: Hey, what's happening, Dad?
WAGMEISTER: He told CNN more than a decade ago just how much "THE COSBY SHOW" meant to him.
WARNER: This show was really more than a show, clearly. It was -- it was really a social statement.
WAGMEISTER: Many echoed that sentiment.
SEGUN ODUL, ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST: To see us represented is so powerful. It's definitely a tragic loss not just for the entertainment community but the Black community as a whole. It's like losing a family member because he -- we grew up with him.
WAGMEISTER: While much of America watched him grow up on television during "THE COSBY SHOW's" run from 1984 to 1992, Warner had a long and diverse career in television and beyond --
WARNER: I don't want to be known just as Malcolm-Jamal Warner, the kid from "THE COSBY SHOW." I want to be known as Malcolm-Jamal Warner, the actor who can act.
I have always presented myself as someone who wants to do more than just enjoy celebrityhood.
WAGMEISTER: -- with roles in "MALCOLM & EDDIE," "SUITS," "THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL-AIR" --
WARNER: Oh, I don't believe this.
WAGMEISTER: -- "THE RESIDENT," and as Al Cowlings in "THE PEOPLE VERSUS O.J. SIMPSON."
WARNER: I think I'm doing alright.
WAGMEISTER: Warner's podcast "Not All Hood" highlighted diversity in the Black community, focusing on the importance of representation. And he reunited with Keisha Knight Pulliam, his TV sister from "THE COSBY SHOW" on an episode just last month.
KEISHA KNIGHT PULLIAM, ACTRESS: A lot of people give their power away.
WAGMEISTER: On one of many appearances on the red carpet Warner spoke of hope for more uplifting programming.
WARNER: We need more of that positivity, that love, at the risk of sounding corny. But I think we need that again.
Warner singing on "THE COSBY SHOW."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL)
[05:59:20]
LEE: A royal birthday bash is in order for Prince George. The first child of Prince and Princess of Wales turns 12 today. George is now second in line to the British throne, but his parents are considering scrapping a decades old rule meant to protect the line of succession. It prohibits senior members of the royal family from traveling together past the age of 12 in the event of a tragic accident.
And finally, China is cracking down on fake Labubu toys. The viral plush dolls made by Pop Mart are one of the hottest items on the market but that has led to a rise in counterfeit dolls dubbed Lafufus. In an effort to crack down on fakes, Pop Mart is now working to copyright the name Lafufu.
[06:00:08]
And since June, Chinese authorities have seized tens of thousands of counterfeit Labubus, but fakes can still be found throughout China and online.
Thank you so much for joining us here on EARLY START. I'm MJ Lee in Washington. And "CNN THIS MORNING" starts right now.
