TechStuff The Story: Is Your Pregnancy App Actually Helping?
Oct 29, 2025
Amanda Hess, a writer for The New York Times and author of *Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age*, dives into the complex impact of pregnancy apps on expectant parents. She discusses how these apps can amplify worries rather than alleviate them, and addresses the troubling overlap between technology and eugenics in reproductive health. Amanda also shares her personal experiences with distorted expectations and community support found in online groups, ultimately advocating for cautious engagement with parenting tech.
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Googling Turned Fear Into Expectation
- Amanda Hess describes frantic Googling after a possible prenatal diagnosis and how online images warped her expectations.
- She says meeting her son in person corrected internet-fueled fears and distortions about his condition.
From Tabloids To Support Groups
- Amanda recalls finding Daily Mail photos and Reddit speculation that amplified horror about Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome.
- Joining Facebook support groups later showed her many families and eased guilt and isolation.
Apps Create False Emotional Intimacy
- Pregnancy apps anthropomorphize fetuses and create parasocial bonds that feel like interacting with the baby.
- Amanda felt betrayed when an app's sanitized images didn't reflect her abnormal ultrasound.