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Emma Lembke said she was 12 years old when she joined Instagram.

For the first few months, she said it was phenomenal and felt like the world was at her fingertips. But over time, the device began 鈥減ulling me in鈥� as she began receiving 鈥渋nappropriate content.鈥�

Lembke said her mother had no idea what she was consuming on social media.

鈥淵ou could not have protected me,鈥� Lembke said she told her mom.

A few years later, as a senior in high school, Lembke founded LOG OFF, a youth movement dedicated to uplifting and empowering youth to tackle the complexities of social media and its impact on their privacy, safety and mental health.

On Wednesday evening, Lembke, along with Design It For Us Co-Chairman 鈥� and advocate for safer social media for teens 鈥� Zamaan Qureshi and New Mexico Attorney General Ra煤l Torrez spoke about the online dangers facing young people during a virtual town hall hosted by NBC News journalist Kate Snow.

One of the dangers mentioned during the town hall was sexual predators.

Earlier this month, the New Mexico Department of Justice announced it arrested three suspected online child predators following a monthslong operation of child predators operating through Meta Platforms Inc.

The incident is an example, Torrez said on Wednesday, 鈥渙f the dangers people need to be aware of.鈥�

According to court documents, the complaint alleges that Meta told the public that its social media platforms are 鈥渟afe and good for children when they knowingly expose children to the dangers of sexual exploitation and mental health harm.鈥�

Torrez said the companies have not demonstrated they are capable of providing the 鈥渟afety and security all of us expect from a product that is readily available, not just to adults but to children.鈥�

The attorney general is shining a 鈥渓ight on the fact that these conversations need to be had鈥� about what is going on, Lembke said.

鈥淥pen and honest dialogue is important,鈥� she said, adding that it is important for parents not to be judgmental during those conversations because many youth could be 鈥渆mbarrassed by negative experiences.鈥�

鈥淭here needs to be room and space for families to have open and honest conversations.鈥� Qureshi said. 鈥淏ut the onus is on the companies to have safer platforms. They haven鈥檛 been able to do that. Some regulation is needed in order to make that happen.鈥�

鈥楪enie is out of the bottle鈥�

Snow asked the panel whether people should go 鈥渃old turkey鈥� and get off social media.

鈥淚 think we鈥檙e a realistic generation,鈥� Lembke said. 鈥淲e understand that the genie is out of the bottle. We鈥檙e not going to go back to the time where social media doesn鈥檛 exist in some capacity.

鈥淪o, I don鈥檛 think it is realistic to demand that everybody just quits cold turkey.鈥�

Lembke said that while social media won鈥檛 go away, one reason she created LOG OFF 鈥渨as to say, 鈥榣et鈥檚 all log off, step back and reflect on our usage鈥欌�� and ask how people can maximize the benefits of the platforms while 鈥渕itigating its harms.鈥�

鈥淭he answer is, it is very difficult. It requires a lot of conscious decisions.鈥�

Torrez said people like Lembke and Quershi give him hope for the future.

鈥淚 think young people get it, frankly, in a lot of ways that others don鈥檛,鈥� he said.