Scrolling 2 Death

DISCLAIMER: This episode includes details related to sexual assault of a minor. Please listen with caution. Deb Schmill shares the story of her daughter, Becca, who experienced a severe trauma at just 15 years old which led to addiction and her death by fentanyl poisoning in 2020. Smartphones and social media are facilitating access to drugs and harmful content that is deadly to many teens. My conversation with Deb emphasizes the need for parents to have open conversations with their children, be aware of their online activities and to create boundaries around device usage. We also discuss the need for passage of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a federal bill that will save childrens' lives. Contact your Senators and Representatives in the House; ask them to pass KOSA now before we lose more children to online harms! Deb and her family founded the Becca Schmill Foundation and work to fund research, hosting community programs, and advocating for policies to protect children. https://beccaschmillfdn.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

Today I'm joined by attorney Laura Marquez-Garrett to review the latest series of events in the world of Snapchat. Snap rolled out new "safety features," but will these features really protect children from being contacted by strangers on Snapchat? The short answer is no, but there is much more harm lurking within Snapchat than meets the eye. Join Laura and I as we take parents through the app that has fooled us all; an addictive torture den that masquerades itself as a "whimsical candy castle" for kids. In summary, Snapchat will never, ever prioritize our child's safety over profits. They must be forced to through lawsuits and legislation. Here's how you can help... Contact your state Senators and member in the House of Representatives and ask them to pass the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). This single bill will save countless lives. Read the latest Rolling Stone article about how Snapchat is Fueling a Teen Opioid Crisis. Find out about the work at the Social Media Victims Law Center.

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: 32-year-old Man Targets Minors on Snapchat (detail here) Important Updates from Aspen Ideas Panel (Teens and Screens Panel) Senator Schumer Faces Heat as Landmark Bill to Protect Kids Online Stalls (NY Post article) Threads Reaches 175M Users; A Review of the Danger of Threads  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 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. Learn about the Bark App for iPhones and Androids: https://info.bark.us/scrolling2death_bark  *Use code SCROLLING2DEATH FOR 10% OFF Check out the Bark Phone: https://info.bark.us/scrolling2deathbp

Therapist Andrea Brambila (of mega-popular @brambila_bits) joins me today for an honest conversation about kids and screens. As moms who both raised babies during COVID, we compare notes on the highs and lows of our efforts to maintain low-tech households. Andrea is an experienced mental health therapist who specializes in perinatal mental health and developmental psychology. She encourages parents to reduce the overwhelm and overstimulation through independent play and low-screen living. Personally, I walked away from this conversation feeling seen! Parents have it tough in this digital age and I find it so helpful to have an honest and relatable conversation with a fellow mom. Hopefully you can relate! Connect with Andrea here: https://www.instagram.com/brambila_bits/ This episode is sponsored by Bark Technologies. Learn about the Bark App for iPhones and Androids: https://info.bark.us/scrolling2death_bark *Use code SCROLLING2DEATH FOR 10% OFF Check out the Bark Phone: https://info.bark.us/scrolling2deathbp

If you have questions or concern about your childrens' screen time, this is the episode for you. I'm joined by pediatrician and clinical researcher Dr. John Hutton, and we dive into health concerns regarding digital media use in children, impacts on caregiver-child connection, brain development and alternatives to digital media. Dr. Hutton is an Associate Professor, Division of General & Community Pediatrics at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Attending Physician, Children’s Health, Dallas. Dr. Hutton is also an author of over 40 children's books. I especially loved the Baby Unplugged series which you can browse here. Dr. Hutton's published research 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

This podcast covers Snapchat's safety updates, warns about a new risky app OmeTV, discusses pushback on social media warning labels, Meta's fail on child safety, and TikTok's defense against foreign adversary claims. It also delves into the negative effects of social media on kids' mental health and legal battles in Big Tech.

Titania Jordan, Co-founder of Bark Technologies, discusses screen time struggles with a focus on children's technology usage. They dive into the impacts of excessive screen time on kids' health and behavior, offer advice for parents, and explore solutions like the Bark App and Bark Phone for managing technology usage.

Today you'll learn all about the speed challenge, which has been making its way around social media for at least 12 years. This involves social media-fueled algorithms which are encouraging children to reach speeds of 130 mph and above. This conversation features Meg Stuhmer, whose daughter was a victim of the speed challenge in 2021. She bravely tells her story so that others can get ahead of this dangerous trend. There is currently a lack of regulation requiring social media to keep our children safe. Meg and others encourage you to support the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), contact your representatives and ask them to vote it through the House and the Senate. Parents can join together to make this happen, before we lose another child. 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: Rolling Stone Implicates Snapchat in Teen Opioid Epidemic (Rolling Stone piece and my interview with Paul Solotaroff) U.S. Surgeon General Urges Congress to Require Warning Label for Social Media (article here) Los Angeles School District Approves Strict Phone Ban (article here) Governor Gavin Newsom Calls for State-wide Phone Ban in Schools (article here) FTC Investigates TikTok of Violating Childrens' Privacy (article here and my interview with Frank McCourt) 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. Learn about the Bark App for iPhones and Androids: https://info.bark.us/scrolling2death_bark **Use code SCROLLING2DEATH FOR 10% OFF Check out the Bark Phone: https://info.bark.us/scrolling2deathbp

In this conversation, Susan Linn discusses the harmful effects of marketing to children and the overuse of technology in their lives. She emphasizes the importance of unstructured play and creativity; stressing that kids can amuse and soothe themselves without needing a device. We also dive into the current state of EdTech in schools, highlighting the lack of research supporting its effectiveness. Don't miss the story of Dr. Linn's career and as a ventriloquist at the end of the episode! I highly recommend Dr. Susan Linn's book 'Who's Raising the Kids' available here. 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