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

Thank you to John Pizzuro for joining me to discuss crimes against kids. John is the CEO and co-founder of Raven, a 501(c)4 non-profit lobbying firm comprised of subject matter experts and retired law enforcement focused on legislative and policy solutions for child trafficking and child exploitation. He highlights the scale and challenge of online crimes, the issue of ineffective age-gating, and the dangers of children interacting with strangers online. As always, this discussion is parent-focused and includes actionable guidance to protect our children from online harms. One vital need is for the tech companies to take responsibility for child safety online and that is going to require legislation to hold them accountable. Legislative initiatives such as the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Stop CSAM Act are introduced as important steps towards creating a safer online environment for children. To help get KOSA passed, please visit house.gov, enter your ZIP code, find your Rep and contact them. Ask them to co-sponsor KOSA. 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

When former-Facebook employee David Erb realized that Facebook's "People You May Know" feature was connecting millions of pedophiles with tens of millions of children, he told senior Facebook executives right away. The response gave David the shock of his life. Not only did Meta refuse to help these children, they announced end-to-end encryption so that the messages were hidden. This strategic update removed liability from Meta and has since encouraged even more exploitation of children. In today's episode of Scrolling 2 Death, David Erb shares his story. Please listen with caution. What you hear will upset you. About David Erb David Erb has had a nearly 40 year career working for some of the biggest tech companies in the world, including Microsoft, Google, YouTube and Facebook. David co-created Google Cloud, and led a team of 200 engineers at YouTube. He has been a champion of developing new ways to combat CSAM and has seen big tech at both its best and its worst. He resigned from his lead engineering role in Meta's London office in protest over their refusal to act on his team's recommendations to curb CSAM and grooming on the platform.

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: Telegram CEO Arrested for Enabling Child Sexual Abuse (among other charges) TikTok Must Face Lawsuit Over 10-year-old Girl's Death (court ruling) New Study Shows TikTok Psychologically Manipulates Users in Favor of China (study) TikTok Child Privacy Class Action Lawsuit (more here) Snapchat Launches Their App on iPads (more here) Families Can Sue Yolo For Breaking Anti-Bullying Pledge (more info) The Dangerous World of Anonymous Apps (with Kristin Bride) Anonymous Apps: Exposed (with Kristin Bride) RESEARCH: The Case for Causality (social media & mental health) by Jonathan Haidt and Zach Rausch RESEARCH: How Screens Affect Infants & Toddlers by Children & Screens Check back on Fridays for everything that parents need to know about the platforms our children are spending hours on every day.