Welcome to Teachers Talk, a brand new series here on Scrolling 2 Death. In these candid discussions with teachers, parents get the real deal on what's happening with screens in the classroom. Today's episode features High School teachers Matt Miles and Joe Clement. Matt and Joe are incredible advocates in this space and are authors of one of my favorite books, ⁠Screen Schooled: Two Veteran Teachers Expose How Technology Overuse Is Making Our Kids Dumber⁠ Be sure not to miss our version of "Mean Tweets" toward the end of the episode! 

This episode is all about social media safety. I constantly wonder; will my children be safe on social media? The short answer is no.  To advise on the topic, I brought in Marc Berkman, who is the CEO of the Organization for Social Media Safety. Together, we walk through evidence-based harms that exist on social media and proposed legislation to make social media a safer space for us to connect.  We also discuss this week's congressional hearing where we will learn more about 9 proposed online safety bills including KOSA, Sammy's Law, COPPA 2.0, APRA and others. Fingers crossed for creating safer online spaces for us and our children to connect!Check out OFSMS: https://www.socialmediasafety.org/ Tell your representative if online safety for children is important to you. Visit this link and enter your ZIP code at the top-right: https://www.house.gov/

The Big Tech Gut Check is a super quick, weekly update on all things social media and Big Tech. The highlights for this week: What's really going on with TikTok?  The imitation game continues with TikTok Notes Snapchat fools us all! More lawsuits against Big Tech KOSA and COPPA 2.0 introduced into the House Don't forget about Discord Check back on Fridays for everything that parents need to know about the platforms our children are spending hours on every day.

Welcome to Teachers Talk, a brand new series here on Scrolling 2 Death. In these candid discussions with teachers, parents get the real deal on what's happening with screens in the classroom. Today's episode features 9th grade Language Arts teacher Tara Hodgson. After 17 years of teaching, Tara has a well-earned perspective on how technology in school is affecting our kids. Here's a link to grab a copy of Tara's book.

This conversation is all about our attention span. Where did it go? How do we regain control of attention? I was honored to be joined by data scientist and psychologist Dr. Gloria Mark. We dove into many of the issues that parents deal with on a daily basis; attention span, multitasking, digital habits and much more. I left this conversation with a much better understanding of what I can do in the home to regain control of my attention (and my kids' attentions) and lessen stress levels. Meet Dr. Gloria Mark Gloria Mark is Chancellor’s Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine. She received her PhD from Columbia University in psychology and studies the impact of digital media on people’s lives. She takes a deep dive in examining multitasking, interruptions, and mood with the use of digital devices. She has published over 200 articles, and in 2017 was inducted into the ACM SIGCHI Academy which recognizes leaders in the field of human-computer interaction. She has presented her work at SXSW and the Aspen Ideas Festival, and her research has appeared in the popular media, e.g. New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, The Atlantic, the BBC, and many others. ⁠Check out Dr. Mark's substack⁠.  ⁠Learn about Dr. Mark's work and her book Attention Span⁠: 

Over 3.3 billion humans play video games. It can be an activity that connects us and brings people together from all over the world. There has been quite an evolution in gaming over the past couple of decades. Before I handed my young kids a gaming console, I wanted to know...what is gaming today really like. So I got on the line with gamers to find out what's really happening in the games spaces of today. What was revealed to me about gaming, particularly gaming online, is that there's a lot going on...things that parents need to know and things we need to talk to our kids about. It's truly not all fun and games. Thank you to the gamers who were so open and honest with their gaming experiences. You guys are the best. 

The Big Tech Gut Check is a super quick, weekly update on all things social media and Big Tech. The highlights for this week: The book that will change the tide (The Anxious Generation) New CSAM research that parents need to be aware of  Basically no parents use the parental controls on Snapchat and Discord Meta is sued for $7B by their own advertisers Snapchat's new ranking feature fuels teen anxiety Check back on Fridays for everything that parents need to know about the platforms our children are spending hours on every day.

Welcome to the first installment of Teachers Talk, a brand new series here on Scrolling 2 Death. In these candid discussions with teachers, parents get the real deal on what's happening with screens at school.  Today's episode features college instructor Dr. Jason Robinson. We discussed the pitfalls, and even the benefits, of allowing devices in his college lecture hall. Meet Dr. Robinson Dr. Jason Robinson is a Senior Lecturer at the University of North Georgia.  He currently is a Faculty member in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department.  Dr. Robinson primarily teaches students in a pre-nursing tract and other majors requiring critical thinking - but not Chemistry major level instruction.  Additionally, he is a frequent presenter to parents and first-generation students at the University.  Dr. Robinson holds Master's and Doctorate Degrees in Photonics from Oklahoma State University and a Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry from Xavier University of Louisiana.

In this conversation, I was joined by Chris McKenna of Protect Young Eyes to dive into all things digital safety. We talk about when and how to give your child a device, danger areas online, how to talk to your child about online risks and much, much more.  Chris is a wealth of information, having spoken in countless schools and to parent groups around the country.  About Chris McKenna:  Former consultant, youth ministry director. Author of resources for families and churches on digital safety and pornography. His 2019 US Senate testimony catalyzed new online child protection laws and earned PYE the Dignity Defense Alert Award. Now an advisor to legislators and global tech companies on policies and feature improvements. The PYE team performs hundreds of presentations globally and was featured in the Childhood 2.0 movie. Chris is married to Andrea, enjoys family road trips, nature, running, and candy, and is father to four.

The Big Tech Gut Check is a super quick, weekly update on all things social media and Big Tech. The highlights for this week: More on Florida's social media ban for minors New CSAM research that parents need to know UK research shows teen girls expect to be harassed online Creative ways predators are manipulating our kids Latest research on boys being fed misogynistic content Court documents reveal that Meta was snooping on Snapchat user data Meta restricts political content (even mine?) Check back on Fridays for everything that parents need to know about the platforms our children are spending hours on every day.