Scrolling 2 Death

This is a conversation that parents should bring their teens into. Ava Smithing is a Gen Z adovcate for kid's online safety who is dedicated to making social media safer. Ava shares her vulnerable story of struggling with an eating disorder that was encouraged by social media, and gives parents invaluable insights into life as a Gen Z'er. "I learned through social media that I shouldn't be eating, how not to eat and how to hide it from my family." This episode is jam-packed with advice for parents on how to approach social media in their own homes, including: Federal child safety and privacy bills How social media affects body image Status of TikTok and its influence on our youth Snapchat's "less social media, more Snapchat" gaslighting campaign Dangers of AI chatbots Digital wellness revolution Loads of social media tips for parents Ava Smithing is the Director of Advocacy at the Young People's Alliance, her first role upon graduating with honors from Stevens Institute of Technology in May 2023, Majoring in Business Management and the History and Philosophy of Technology, with a Public Policy Minor. Since her graduation Ava has been committed to progressing legislation to making social media safer at the state and federal level, through advocacy, community organizing and public engagements. She is an affiliate in All Tech is Human's inaugural affiliate cohort and an advisor on behalf of YPA for the Student Action Network for Equity. Ava recently testified at the congressional subcommittee hearing Legislative Solutions to Protect Kids Online and Ensure Americans’ Data Privacy Rights.

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: FBI warns parents on sextortion; more teens are targeted Meta and Google spend $1M to fight New York child safety bills Two major hearings this week to discuss online safety bills An update on the TikTok divest-or-ban legislation Important update for parents related to our kids' access to fentanyl 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 Resources mentioned during this episode: Podcast interview --> Sextortion: Is your kid next? (with John DeMay) Podcast interview --> Sextortion and American Teenagers (with Titania Jordan) Podcast interview --> Protecting our kids from sextortion (with Paul Raffile) Press release --> FBI Warns Parents About Sextortion Media Link --> ABC 7 News Coverage of Snapchat Rally 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 all about sextortion. What do parents need to know about the sextortion epidemic? If you think your kid is immune to this threat, unfortunately it's affecting hundreds of thousands of American teenagers. I'm joined by Titania Jordan of Bark Technologies to educate parents on what to look out for and how to protect your child from sextortion. If your child has been faced with sextortion, please report it to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) Cyber Tipline. Resources mentioned in the episode: Interview with Jordan DeMay's dad John Interview with Paul Raffile 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!

Just two moms talking about childrens' online safety...except one mom is also a Congresswoman and Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers is the first female Chair of one of the most powerful committees in the House of Representatives. This committee is dedicated to providing parents with safeguards to get our children protected online. This is an all-out war against Big Tech and our childrens' lives are at stake. Use your voice and let's get our kids protected online. Parents: Our voices are what's going to make a difference in this fight for online privacy and childrens' safety. Contact your representative (both the House and the Senate) and tell them to support: American Privacy Rights Act (APRA) Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) Section 230 Sunset Act As a reminder, you have 2 Senators and a member of the House of Representatives of your district. 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 Resources: WSJ: Sunset of Section 230 Would Force Big Tech's Hand Interview with Marc Berkman Cathy McMorris Rodgers is the Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and represents Washington’s Fifth Congressional District. She was appointed to the House Energy and Commerce Committee in 2010. In addition to her policy leadership on the Committee, Cathy also served in House Republican Leadership for 10 years as Vice Chair and Chair of the House Republican Conference. More about Chair Rodgers here: https://mcmorris.house.gov/

The fentanyl epidemic has reached our kids with the distribution of fake pills on Snapchat. Today's guest is Jaime Puerta of V.O.I.D. Jaime is an incredible warrior and advocate who lost his son Daniel to a fentanyl-laced pill purchased on Snapchat. Jaime answers all the questions parents may have about the fentanyl epidemic; where it's coming from, what does it look like, how are kids getting it and how we can protect our own kids. This episode is dedicated to the life of Daniel Joseph Puerta Johnson. About Jaime Puerta Jaime Puerta is a United States Marine Corps Veteran, and the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Puerta & Associates, Inc.; a small Interpreting business that specializes in furnishing Certified Interpreters to Attorneys, Doctors, and Courts working within the Workman’s Compensation field in the State of California. He resides in Santa Clarita, California, with his wife Claudia. Jaime is also the President of V.O.I.D., "Victims Of Illicit Drugs", a California 501C non-profit dedicated to educating parents and children about the dangers of illicit drug use, and also about the dangers that abound on social media platforms. Jaime also sits on the Advisory Board of A.C.C.O. "The Alliance To Counter Crime Online". Jaime became involved in the fight against Fentanyl when his only son Daniel passed away due to Fentanyl Poisoning on April 6, 2020.

The Big Tech Gut Check is a super quick, weekly update on all things social media and Big Tech. The highlights for this week: 🇺🇸 Sextortion schemes spike in the U.S. and other western countries 👨‍⚖️ President Biden passed the REPORT Act to fight sextortion 💍 NY Times reveals Meta is serving children's photos to pedophiles in advertisements 📱 New Mexico exposes Meta through Operation MetaPhile ‼️ European Union announces formal investigation into Meta for child safety concerns 🧐 New research shows connection between children's social media use and mental health vulnerability Resources mentioned in the episode are available here: https://www.scrolling2death.com/big-tech-gut-check-week-of-may-13-2024

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 teacher in Chicago named Kara Waddell. 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)

Sextortion is a parent's worst nightmare. In this interview with cyberintelligence analyst Paul Raffile, parents will learn all about sextortion and how to protect our children. Paul answers important questions about sextortion including: Who is being targeted? Where are the scammers located? What platforms are at risk for sextortion? What should parents tell their children to protect them? If your child has been faced with sextortion, please report it to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: https://report.cybertip.org Paul Raffile is an intelligence analyst focused on cyber threats and transnational organized crime. He has worked on government and private sector projects to detect and investigate terrorist networks, fraud, black markets, and human exploitation on social media platforms.

Ed Peisner is an accidental advocate. In 2017, his teenage son Jordan was viciously assaulted in West Hills, CA. The attack was filmed and uploaded to social media by an friend of the attacker. Jordan was left with serious and life-long injuries and will never be the same child. Ed has since dedicated his life to the goal of ensuring that no other family has to endure such a terrible ordeal at the hands of social media-induced violence. Together we break down the reality of how social media is affecting our kids, and how we can protect them from harm. Ed is the National Education Director and Founder of The Organization for Social Media Safety. OFSMS is the first consumer protection organization exclusively focused on social media. They work to make social media safe for everyone.  Connect with Ed and his team at the Organization for Social Media Safety at this link. And be sure to check out their FREE online safety course for parents!

This episode is dedicated to the life of Jordan DeMay, cut short way too soon.  Jordan was a victim of sextortion, an epidemic that we should all be ready to encounter.  This interview is a raw conversation with John DeMay, Jordan's dad. John takes us through what happened to Jordan and what parents need to look out for. If you have encountered a sextortion scheme, please be sure to report it to NCMEC. 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)