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: State of New Mexico Sues Snapchat for Failing to Protect Kids [New Yorker] Has social media fueled a teen suicide crisis? U.S. Surgeon General Recommends Social Media Warning Label (bill introduced in Congress) Roblox and Google Partner to Create a Weird Online Safety Game AAP Releases Glossary of Digital Media Platforms Check back on Fridays for everything that parents need to know about the platforms our children are spending hours on every day.

The internet is now, decidedly, unsafe for kids...including A.I. generated platforms. At Angel Kids AI, their mission is to use AI to flip the script; making the internet safe for kids.  I brought in Tim Estes, founder of Angel Kids AI, to educate parents about A.I., the harms, the potential and how to introduce our kids to A.I. tools safely and productively. Tim and I dig into online harms, reviewing popular AI products like Amazon's Alexa, ChatGPT and others. Parents will leave this conversation with a healthy understanding of how to introduce AI to our kids in a way that enhances their creativity and doesn't harm them.  In addition to joining the waitlist for Angel Kids AI, here are a few AI tools that Tim recommends trying out with your child: Merlyn Mind Khan Academy Synthesis About Tim: Tim Estes is a pioneering executive in the Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing domain. He founded and led Digital Reasoning from 2000, an AI leader in the space of unstructured data analytics for 20+ years. Estes envisioned a means by which computers could learn to accurately interpret language, understand context, and extract critical intelligence. Digital Reasoning secured investments from In-Q-Tel (IQT), Goldman Sachs, Nasdaq, BNP Paribas, Barclays, Credit Suisse, HCA, and others totaling over $120M. Dubbed “Wall Street’s Robocop” by Forbes, the technology in Digital Reasoning became the market standard for applying AI and Natural Language Processing to communications data across text and voice and was adopted by a majority of the Tier 1 Financial Institutions around the globe. It’s technology also supported key Defense and Intelligence efforts in the US Government, enabled nationwide cancer screening systems to automate patient detection and prioritization, and created the largest deployed system to support law enforcement in the disruption of child sex trafficking rings in North America. It was merged with Smarsh in November, 2020 to create the market leader in Communications Intelligence for Financial Services. Estes left the acquiring company, Smarsh, at the end of 2021 and is now an active Angel Investor, Advisor, Board Member, and Mentor to CEOs in multiple industries.

Rick Lane was there at the beginning; when MySpace was the leader of the pack and Facebook was moving fast and breaking things. He had a front row seat to it all going wrong and is speaking out. In this eye-opening conversation, Rick describes how the initial intention of self-regulation and light government touch in the tech industry has led to the lack of accountability and failure in protecting children online. Rick Lane is a tech policy expert, child safety advocate, and the founder and CEO of IGGY Ventures LLC. IGGY advises and invests in companies, projects, and public policy initiatives that can positively impact society. Connect with Rick on LinkedIn. Pass KOSA! To give our children the protections they deserve, we need the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). KOSA passed in the Senate 91-3 and needs passage in the House. Please contact your Rep to ask them to co-sponsor KOSA.

I brought in CMO of Bark Technologies, Titania Jordan, to discuss the implications of Apple's iOS 18 update, focusing on its impact on child safety and parental controls. We also discuss implications of privacy and general advice related to kids and 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

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: Snapchat Integrates Google's AI to Enhance Snapchat Chatbot Snapchat Offers Older Teens 16+ Public Sharing Snapchat Testing Simplified Version of the App States Race to Ban Phones at School Administrators Toolkit by Phone Free Schools Movement The Battle to Ban Screens From School Now Includes Chromebooks and Tablets Instagram Announces Teen Accounts 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) Join the waitlist for the Bark Watch

Laura Lawrence is a wealth of knowledge between her experience as a teacher, speaker, author and most importantly, a mom of 4. We had an honest conversation that covers all areas of screen time and social media. I am especially grateful to Laura for sharing a sensitive story about her son's experience with an online harm. Laura Lawrence is a 4x best-selling author, motivational speaker, mindfulness coach, entrepreneur, philanthropist and mother of four. Connect with Laura On Instagram @lauralawrence.author and @youthmattercanada Via her websites: lauralawrence.ca and youthmattercanada.ca NCMEC's Take it Down Service If there is an explicit image of you or your child on the internet, please request removal at takeitdown.ncmec.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's episode of Scrolling 2 Death features a vulnerable conversation with a mom in Colorado named Lori Schott. Lori tragically and suddenly lost her 17-year-old daughter to suicide in November of 2020. After Anna's death, Lori turned to her phone for answers. What she found on TikTok is every parent's worst nightmare -- a steady stream of videos targeting Anna with promotion of self-harm, suicide and depression. Lori is fighting back against the companies who harmed her daughter through advocacy work and support of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). Social media platforms will never choose child safety over profit, so they must be forced. My heart goes out to the Schott family for the lost of their daughter Anna, forever 17. 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

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.