Scrolling 2 Death

Trigger warning: The following content contains sensitive subject matter, including depictions of suicide and self-harm. Please view or listen with caution.  This is a story that every parent must hear. The future is here, and that includes AI chatbot companions who emulate human relationships. These products are unregulated and unsafe, particularly for children.  I spoke to Megan Garcia, an attorney from Florida. Megan is the mother of Sewell Setzer III, who died by suicide in February 2024 after being emotionally manipulated and abused by an AI chatbot. Megan is filing a lawsuit and sharing her story to warn families of the dangers of this technology and to demand accountability from Character.AI and the tech industry.  Resources mentioned in the episode:  Tech Justice Law Project: https://techjusticelaw.org Social Media Victims Law Center: https://socialmediavictims.org 

Is Roblox safe for kids? The fact that Nickolodeon gave Roblox the 2024 Teen Choice Award for Favorite Video Game would incidate that Roblox is in fact, safe. But the reality is much darker.  A new report by Hindenburg Research labeled Roblox a "pedophile hellscape for kids." In today's episode, Titania Jordan of Bark and Nicki of Scrolling 2 Death break down the report findings and make recommendations for parents. Resources mentioned in the episode: Meta Exposed documentary by Channel 7 News Social Studies documentary on Hulu Interview with Meta whistleblower David Erb Hindenburg Research investigation into Roblox 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 Bark Watch is Coming Soon! Join the watlist

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: Can AI be blamed for 14-year-old Sewell Setzer's suicide? Big Tech Spends $51 Million on Lobbying Against Kids Safety Bills Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Scalise Hold Up Kids Online Safety Act Contact Speaker Johnson Contact Majority Leader Scalise New iMessage Feature Allows Children to Report Nudity to Apple Roblox Makes Parental Control Changes (and takes no responsibilty for harm to children) Check back on Fridays for everything that parents need to know about the platforms our children are spending hours on every day.

Lenore Skenazy's life completely changed after allowing her child to navigate the New York City subway alone at just 9 years old. She went on to publish a book called Free-Range Kids which grew into a movement. Now, Lenore is the president of Let Grow, the national nonprofit she co-founded with three others, including Jonathan Haidt of "The Anxious Generation." Her mission is to make it easy, normal and legal to give kids back some old-fashioned independence. In this conversation, Lenore discusses the societal shift toward fear-based parenting and the decline of free play. She gives practical strategies for parents to encourage their children to take risks and develop much-needed confidence. Skenazy emphasizes the need for parents to let go and trust their children, highlighting the benefits of independence for both kids and parents. Could the cure to an anxious generation be as easy as letting go? Resources mentioned in the episode: Let Grow: https://letgrow.org/ The Let Grow Experience (a free independence-building curriculum for teachers/schools) The Let Grow Play Club (free implementation guide for schools, YMCAs, churches, synagogues, etc., to create a time and place for kids to play and socialize in a no-phone zone) After Babel by Jonathan Haidt and Zach Rausch The Anxious Generation (NY Times Best Seller)

The average age that kids get a smartphone is nearing 10 years old. Watches are being given closer to 5. Parents primarily make these decisions for safety; to be able to track their children and get ahold of each other in case of an emergency. But do these devices actually keep children safe? Or are we hindering their autonomy and sense of independence while also potentially exposing them to the dangers that come along with a device? I brought in youth advocate Ava Smithing of Young People's Alliance to share her experience as a pre-teen and teen being tracked by her parents. "I didn't start lying to my mother until she started tracking me like that," shares Ava. There are so many takeaways for parents in this conversation where we vulnerably discuss finding a balance between protection and trust.

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: Instagram Announces New Education Campaign to Fight Sextortion Meta Exposed Documentary by Channel 7 News Meta Confirms Layoffs Across Companies Social Media Faces Big Changes in UK Under New Ofcom Rules First UK-US Online Safety Agreement to Keep Kids Safe Online Survey: Colorado Teens use Social media More and at Younger Ages List of end-to-end encrypted apps to block from your child's device:  Signal Whatsapp Telegram Facebook Messenger Wire Element AWS Wickr Briar Pryvate Messenger  SafeChat SafeSwiss Proton Mail SimpleX Chat Confide Delta Chat CoverMe P2P Messenger Olvid xPal TeleGuard Check back on Fridays for everything that parents need to know about the platforms our children are spending hours on every day. This podcast episode is sponsored by Bark Technologies. Learn about the Bark Phone: https://info.bark.us/scrolling2deathbp Learn about the Bark App for iPhones and Androids: https://info.bark.us/scrolling2death_bark *Use code SCROLLING2DEATH FOR 10% OFF The Bark Watch is coming soon! Sign up for the waitlist: https://info.bark.us/bark-watch-s2d

I was super eager to catch up with long-time educator Matt Brady about screens at school. We dive deep into phone bans and also school-issued tech. Meet Matt Brady: Matt Brady is a Physics and Chemistry teacher in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Came in through lateral entry after spending 10 years writing about comic books and pop culture for various outlets. Prior to that, he was in graduate school for a PhD in Physiology & Pharmacology; prior to that, earned a Master’s in Marine Biology, and prior to that, earned a B.S. in Biology. Resources mentioned in the episode: Matt's Substack, Teacher Teacher The one about school shootings School Tech: Know Your Rights (with Julie Liddell) Phone Free Schools Movement (my interview with co-founder Kim Whitman) 7 questions to ask your school destrict about devices This episode is sponsored by Bark Technologies. Learn about the Bark Phone Learn about the Bark App for iPhones and Androids. *Use code SCROLLING2DEATH FOR 10% OFF Learn about the Bark Watch

For this interview, I brought in Dawn Hawkins, CEO of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. NCOSE is the leading organization exposing the connections between all forms of sexual exploitation, including sex trafficking, prostitution, pornography, and child sexual abuse. In addition to running NCOSE, Dawn is a mom of 5 and I loved learning about her approach to screens and her decision to homeschool after learning about the reliance on screens at her local public school system. This conversation is all about action and the power of parents' voices. One of the most vital ways parents can use their voices in this moment is to support the Kids Online Safety Act. This bill will give our kids much-needed protection online. 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: [REPORT] Roblox is a Pedophile Hellscape for Kids 14 U.S. States Sue TikTok for Harm to Children TikTok Redacted Documents in Teen Safety Lawsuit Revealed [REPORT] CDC Warns Parents About Social Media Link to Suicide Families Sue Social Media for Harm to Children [WARNING] DEA Issues Warning About Illegal Online Pharmacies Snapchat Begins Testing 2 Harmful New Features Nevada Lawsuit Against Snapchat, TikTok, Meta Moves to Trial Check back on Fridays for everything that parents need to know about the platforms our children are spending hours on every day.

I checked my Instagram messages last week and saw that the incredible Andrea Brambila had reached out. She asked very simply, "How do I get involved in advocacy?"  I'm not an expert, but have learned a lot in the past 12 months through attending Congressional hearings, lobbying in D.C. and advocating on a local level at my school district and school board meetings.  Andrea led the conversation by asking questions that many parents may have about how to get more involved in protecting kids online. This is an extremely important conversation because the fact is, parents' voices are what is going to change the tide. When parents say we've had enough with our children being harmed by Big Tech, that is when we'll see change.  If you have specific questions that we didn't answer, please reach out!  Resources mentioned in the episode: Ranking of U.S. States for Online Safety Interviews about KOSA with Josh Golin of Fairplay, legislative expert Patrick Lyden and Alix Fraser of Issue One Mothers Against Media Addiction Big Tech Gut Check (weekly updates from Scrolling 2 Death)  Newsletter from Project Liberty After Babel Substack (by Jonathan Haidt and team) Andrea Brambila is a mental health therapist and mother of two. She specializes in perinatal mental health and developmental psychology. Through her social media platform (@brambila_bits), she encourages other parents to reduce the overwhelm and overstimulation through independent play and low-screen living.