Scrolling 2 Death

I was honored to speak with pro football Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith about his work in raising awareness of the dangers of opioid use. Emmitt Smith teamed up with Emergent BioSolutions to break down the stigma around opioid use and accidental overdose, which continues to fuel a national epidemic impacting people from all walks of life. During Emmitt's decorated 15-year professional career, Smith faced multiple injuries and often chose to play through the pain, because he knew the risks associated with opioids as he witnessed promising athletes develop a dependency, lost teammates to accidental overdose and watched loved ones struggle. The Ready to Rescue campaign creates open dialogue about opioid risks and educate the public on how to be prepared to help save a life in an opioid overdose emergency. Research shows that 44% of opioid-related deaths in states evaluated had a bystander present, but naloxone overdose reversal medications were rarely administered. Parents should visit their local pharmacy to stock up on NARCAN Nasal Spray, which is available over the counter and can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose or poisoning in minutes. I encourage you to share this interview (and the interviews linked below) with your teenagers and family members so that they are aware of how deadly opioids can be. To listen to my interviews with grieving parents who have lost a child to fentanyl poisoning, please visit this link.

This is the worst story I've ever heard, but I'm so grateful I got to know Emily. Today we meet an incredibly kind and animal-loving teenager named Emily Popolo. Her mom describes her with a smile on her face, despite Emily's struggles with bipolar disorder and learning disabilities. Emily faced bullying that became relentless after the bullies took to social media to target her. It was too much for Emily and at 17 years old, she died by suicide. This tragic story doesn't end there. The bullies were not finished with Emily. Listen or watch as Emily's mom, Erin, takes us through the series of events following Emily's death. Trigger Warning: This episode goes into detail describing a teenage suicide and the horrific cyberbullying that occured before and after Emily's death. Please listen with caution and join me in offering support to the Popolo family. P.S. It was a sunny day at Erin's lake house during the interview. The sun brightens her face mid-way through and shortly after, she adjusts her position. I like to think that was Emily shining her bright light down on us, in support of her mom. 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

Let's face it. Kids are struggling and one of the main reasons is social media; the addictiveness, the inappropriate content, the cyberbullying, the constant comparison. The list of threats goes on and on. Turns out, social media platforms are not legally required to keep our kids safe or protect their mental health. This is why Senators Blackburn and Blumenthal created the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). I brought in Josh Golin of Fairplay to explain what KOSA is and what it is not. Josh busts the myths that are circulating the internet related to KOSA and explains how our children will be protected in several specific scenarios. This episode is a perfect introduction to kids online safety and the numerous threats that our children are facing each and every time they log in to social media. Here's how you can help get KOSA passed into law: Fill out this form About Josh Golin Josh started at Fairplay as an intern in 2003 and has been with the organization ever since. He succeeded Founder Dr. Susan Linn as Executive Director in 2015. Josh is passionate about creating a safer, less addictive internet for children where young people’s needs come before advertisers’ and big tech’s profits. Josh regularly speaks to parents, professionals, journalists, and policymakers about how to create a healthier media environment for children and teens. He lives in Vermont with his wife Jennifer, their 14-year-old daughter, and their hound Jolene.

After finding a self-harm video being promoted to my child on her school-issued device, I decided to embark on a journey of opting my child out of devices at school. And boy, has it been a journey. I chose to share my experience with parents on social media, and it turns out that parents all over the country are having the same experiences. So from there, I brought in Julie Liddell of the Ed Tech Law Center to help parents understand our rights around tech at school. For 7 questions to ask your school about digital safety today, visit this link: https://www.scrolling2death.com/resources Julie mentioned this book during our interview -- Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy About Julie: Julie Liddell has devoted her career to helping people of all backgrounds find justice in the courts. At the University of Texas School of Law, she worked at the District Attorney’s office in the Family Justice Division and in the Cyber Crimes Division of the Office of the Attorney General of Texas protecting children from online solicitation. She then spent ten years as staff attorney for judges in the highest courts in Texas resolving both criminal and civil matters ranging from complex commercial disputes to death-penalty appeals. She is now turning her efforts and expertise to help families and teachers fight for their health, wellness, and privacy against tech companies who are exploiting them for profit. Julie understands that parents and children may not be forced to choose between their rights to health, safety, and privacy and their right to an education.

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: The link between social media use and suicide My journey opting out of school-issued devices 42 State Attorney Generals Demand Warning Label for Social Media (CNN) Support the Kids Online Safety Act (contact your Rep here) KOSA interviews with Alix Fraser, Patrick Lyden and Senator Ted Cruz TikTok Heads to Appeals Court Interview with Project Liberty Founder Frank McCourt Snapchat Tries to Make Safe AI and Fails (Washington Post) Snapchat is a Scam (with Attorney Laura Marquez-Garrett) 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)

Are our kids digital superlearners, or did we just complete a decades-long hardware dump on an entire generation with no research to support that kids will actually benefit from over-integration of tech at school? This is what I explore in today's episode with special guest, Chris McKenna of Protect Young Eyes. We dive into the research related to the educational benefit of screens and global test scores, in addition to the distractions and privacy issues associated with school-issued tech. Resources mentioned in the episode: 5 Questions to Ask Your Principal (about IT) LA Public Schools ran to AI and it failed Research to support low-tech schooling The Ed Tech Triangle About Chris McKenna Chris McKenna, founder of Protect Young Eyes and Executive Director of the PYE Foundation, is a leading advocate for digital safety. His efforts, including influential testimony before the US Senate and co-authoring the Child Device Protection Bill, have led to significant legislative movement. Chris also advises global tech companies, spoke at the World Economic Forum, and was featured in Childhood 2.0, while his organization educates parents and schools worldwide on digital safety. 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

If I've learned one thing about gaming, it's that kids are not safe without additional protections. One of the tools being released to families is called GameSafe, founded by technology expert David Everitt. In this conversation, David describes his own experience with his daughter being groomed in Minecraft, which led to his new mission in life: To offer families with a tool to truly keep their kids save while gaming. We go into detail on the various threats within gaming platforms like Minecraft, Roblox, Fortnite and others, including; predation, cyberbullying and addiction. GameSafe is available now in the App Store. Learn more about GameSafe at gamesafe.ai. About David Everitt: David is the Founder and CEO of gamesafe.ai, bringing gold-standard protection for children while they are gaming online. This mission started as a response to his own child being preyed upon while playing games online. His hope is to help foster healthy families by providing a much needed application that will give parents peace of mind while their children are gaming online.

Today I'm joined by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas to talk about keeping kids safe online. Senator Cruz is a father to two teenage girls. He is facing the same struggles as all parents related to social media and smartphones. In addition to offering advice for listeners, Senator Cruz introduces us to three important bills that can help keep our kids safe online. The Take it Down Act The Kids Off Social Media Act The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) Please contact your Senators and Representatives in the House to ask them to pass KOSA, the Take it Down Act and the Kids Off Social Media Act. About Senator Ted Cruz: In 2013, Ted was sworn into the United States Senate, where he has been a passionate fighter for limited government, economic growth, and national security. He has authored dozens of legislative measures that have been signed into law, including expanding 529 college savings accounts to allow parents to save for K-12 public, private, and religious education, repealing Obamacare’s individual mandate, imposing sanctions on terrorists who use civilians as human shields, designating North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism, targeting Putin’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline through multiple bills that halted construction and kept it stalled, reauthorizing and reforming NASA, holding dictatorships in South America accountable, and ensuring the availability of additional records to help solve civil rights cold cases. He is also leading the fight in the Senate to support Texas jobs, rein in Big Tech, secure the border, and fundamentally reassess the U.S.-China relationship and hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for covering up the coronavirus pandemic, committing human rights atrocities, and engaging in censorship, propaganda, and espionage in the United States. Ted, his wife Heidi, their two daughters Caroline and Catherine, and his entire family have been blessed to live the American Dream—the idea that anyone, through hard work and determination, can achieve anything. Ted is committed to ensuring every family has that same opportunity.

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: Why Phones Don't Belong in School (podcast episode here) Meta Advertising Nudify Apps on Facebook and Instagram (update here) Social Media's Role in Crimes Against Kids (with John Pizzuro) Harrison Haynes Was Groomed And Is Speaking out (more here) Evan Spiegel's Recent Announcements (here) Snapchat Sued by New Mexico for Facilitating Child Exploitation (more here) Snapchat Will Send Ads in Private Messages (more here) 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. Check out the Bark Phone Check out the Bark Parental Monitoring App for iPhones and Androids (use code SCROLLING2DEATH for 10% off)

Tens of thousands of schools are failing to reach the same primary goal...to produce happy and productive citizens. Phones at school is the roadblock, yet schools continue to struggle with implementing and enforcing phone restrictions. So, what's the answer? Kim Whitman (along with co-founders Mileva Repasky and Sabine Polak) created the Phone Free Schools Movement to provide youth the freedom to excel academically and develop socially without the pressures and harms of phones and social media during the school day. The Phone-Free Schools Movement (in partnership with Fairplay) recently released a one-of-a-kind resource - the Phone-Free Schools Administrator Toolkit. It is a roadmap on how to implement a successful phone-free school policy. In today's conversation with Kim, we talk through the reasons behind the need for a bell-to-bell phone policy, the pushback and even touch on school-issued device use. 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