Welcome to Teachers Talk, a series on Scrolling 2 Death featuring candid discussions with teachers. Parents get the real deal on what's happening with screens at school and how tech is affecting students' learning and teachers' jobs. Today's episode features a 4th - 6th grade teacher in Alaska named Jessica Moore. Jessica does an incredible job breaking down the latest research around kids and screens and gives so many takeaways for parents! This episode is sponsored by Bark Technologies. Learn about the Bark App for iPhones and Androids: *Use code SCROLLING2DEATH FOR 10% OFF Check out the Bark Phone

Annie McGrath shares the story of her son Griffin, who tragically passed away at 13 years old after participating in an online challenge. The choking challenge is one of many deadly challenges that social media companies continue to prioritize within their addictive, harmful algorithms. In this conversation, parents learn how to protect their children from online harms. This includes pushing our elected officials to pass important online safety legislation like the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). KOSA has passed in the Senate and needs passage in the House of Representatives. Visit house.gov to ask your rep to support KOSA! Please stick around to hear a beautiful and impactful poem that Griffin wrote just weeks before his death, at the end of the episode. This episode is sponsored by Bark Technologies. Learn about the Bark App for iPhones and Androids: *Use code SCROLLING2DEATH FOR 10% OFF Check out the Bark Phone

The Big Tech Gut Check is a super quick, weekly update on all things social media and Big Tech. Social Media & Big Tech highlights for this week: Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) Passes 91-3 in the Senate (more here) NYC Cellphone Ban Begins February 2025 (more here) Ask Your School for a Stricter Phone Policy (template) Ask Your School for Less Time on Their School-Issued Device (template) Meta to Pay $1.4B Settlement with Texas in Privacy Lawsuit (more here) TikTok Censors Content Served to Americans (more here) TikTok Amplifies Neo-Nazi Content (more here) Ask your rep to pass KOSA: Visit house.gov and enter ZIP code at the top right to find your representative. Check back on Fridays for everything that parents need to know about the platforms our children are spending hours on every day. This episode is sponsored by Bark Technologies. These days, parents have access to a safer smartphone for kids called the Bark Phone.  Check out the Bark Phone Check out the Bark Parental Monitoring App for iPhones and Androids (use code SCROLLING2DEATH for 10% off)

Today, Titania Jordan and I tackle the complicated topic of phone bans in school. We break down the pro(s?) and cons of allowing kids to have phones at school and why schools across the country are demanding phone bans. If you're a parent or work at a school, this episode is for you. This episode is sponsored by Bark Technologies. Learn about the Bark App for iPhones and Androids: *Use code SCROLLING2DEATH FOR 10% OFF Check out the Bark Phone

Walker was a hardworking and well-loved teenager who fell victim to a sextortion scheme that led to his tragic suicide. I spoke with Walker's dad, Brian, to learn about sextortion, how it's happening, who is being victimized and how parents can protect our children from this social media harm. My heart goes out to the Montgomery family for their loss of Walker. After this tragedy, Walker's family have advocated for protecting kids from sextortion and gotten two bills passed; Walker's Bill (Mississippi House Bill 1196) and the Walker Montgomery Protecting Children Online Act (Mississippi House Bill 2531). If you or your child has been faced with a sextortion attempt, please report it to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: https://report.cybertip.org This episode is sponsored by Bark Technologies. Learn about the Bark App for iPhones and Androids: *Use code SCROLLING2DEATH FOR 10% OFF Check out the Bark Phone About Brian Montgomery Brian Montgomery is a Mississippi native and father of four who experienced the greatest heartache any parent could—the suicide of a child following a sextortion scam. Now he is using his pain as fuel to keep parents informed, to keep victims from losing hope, and to bring predators to justice. Montgomery is a Greenville native and now resides in Starkville. He attended Mississippi State University and has a Bachelor’s degree in Ag Pest Management and a Master’s degree in Forestry, emphasizing Remote Sensing. He is a co-founder of Alliance Ag Risk Management. Brian has been married to his wife Courtney for 25 years, and they have four children Caralyne,20; Walker,16; Bennett,14; and Sarah,13. His son Walker attended Starkville Academy, where he excelled in academics and football. Walker enjoyed running heavy machinery and working on the farm with his family. He had a tremendous work ethic. He had an innate and boundless appreciation and love for the outdoors, and he particularly loved bow-hunting with his father. Walker ended his own life in 2022 after falling victim to a sextortion scam. The event would turn the Montgomery’s life upside down and give Brian a new mission to use Walker’s life-and-death to shed light on the growing epidemic of sextortion.

The Big Tech Gut Check is a super quick, weekly update on all things social media and Big Tech. Social Media & Big Tech highlights for this week: Links Between TikTok Use and Teen Suicide Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) Moves Forward in the Senate Meta Announces New Efforts to Fight Sextortion DEA Releases 2024 National Drug Threat Assessment Sinaloa Cartel Leader Arrested by U.S. Officials Check back on Fridays for everything that parents need to know about the platforms our children are spending hours on every day. This episode is sponsored by Bark Technologies. These days, parents have access to a safer smartphone for kids called the Bark Phone. Check out the Bark Phone Check out the Bark App (10% off with promo code SCROLLING2DEATH)

Welcome to Teachers Talk, a series on Scrolling 2 Death featuring candid discussions with teachers. Parents are going to get the real deal on what's happening with screens at school, how tech is affecting students' learning and teachers' jobs. Today's episode features a high school educator in Canada that we're calling Mrs. C. This conversation goes way beyond screens in school as Mrs. C shares her experience providing a low-tech household for her three children and restricting social media until at least 16. This episode is sponsored by Bark Technologies. Learn about the Bark App for iPhones and Androids *Use code SCROLLING2DEATH FOR 10% OFF Check out the Bark Phone

Isabel Nugent was a talented and brilliant 15-year-old girl who tragically died by suicide. She was beautiful, intelligent, artistic, and athletic. Isabel had a strong sense of social justice and was loved by her friends and teachers. In October 2023, Isabel died by suicide, and her mother believes that she had obtained information on a dangerous website that promotes self-harm. The website grooms vulnerable individuals and provides detailed instructions on how to die "peacefully" using harmful substances. This conversation with Isabel's mom Katherine discusses the existence of online suicide assistance forums and the challenges in taking them down. Protect Children By Contacting Your Representatives Please contact your Senators (senate.gov) and members in the House (house.gov) and ask them to sponsor House Bill H.R. 9260 (Stop online suicide assistance forums, SOSAF) to ban dangerous website which promote suicide and self harm. This episode is sponsored by Bark Technologies. Learn about the Bark App for iPhones and Androids: *Use code SCROLLING2DEATH FOR 10% OFF Check out the Bark Phone

The Big Tech Gut Check is a super quick, weekly update on all things social media and Big Tech. Social Media & Big Tech highlights for this week: Donald Trump Assassination Attempt Triggers Social Media Conspiracies (CNN Article) Belief in Conspiracy Theories Higher Among Teens Than Adults (CCDH Report) Latest String of Nefarious Activity on Snapchat Concerns Parents (Google it) Meta Stock Plunges (More Here) Trump Points Finger at Meta for Teen Suicide Rates (Bloomberg Article) Billionaire Jeff Yass May Be The Donor Behind Trump’s TikTok FlipFlop (Forbes Article) **Senator Rand Paul Blocks Vital Kids Online Safety Bill: Call Senator Paul and ask him to stop blocking KOSA! (202) 224-4343 Contact your Representative in the House: Visit house.gov and enter ZIP code at the top right to find your representative Contact your Senators: Visit senate.gov and use the state drop down at the top of your screen

Welcome to Teachers Talk, a series on Scrolling 2 Death featuring candid discussions with teachers. Parents are going to get the real deal on what's happening with screens at school, how tech is affecting students' learning and teachers' jobs. Today's episode features educator and speaker Ronna Glickman. You can reach Ronna at socialmediasafety.education