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 --- Support this podcast:...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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) ...

The conversation is all about the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and its positive implications for our kids. After receiving many comments about KOSA being a "censorship bill" and finding similar articles with a quick Google search, I realized that we need to face this argument head on. I brought in legislative expert Alix Fraser to respond to the headlines and give us the real deal on KOSA. If you want protections for your kids online, please contact your Representative in the...

Parents constantly ask, "Is [INSERT APP] safe for my kids?" I brought in Titania Jordan to give our honest reviews of 10 of the most popular apps for kids. Today we cover: Spotify, Snapchat, Capcut, Candy Crush, Discord, Roblox/Minecraft/Fortnite, Whatsapp, YouTube, Telegram and ChatGPT. Thank you to Titania and Bark Technologies for putting together exhaustive app reviews for parents. If we didn't cover an app that you are wondering about, please visit...

Kids are getting harmed by social media. Social media companies put profits over people. Legislation to protect kids online has not passed since 1998. It is way passed time get force Big Tech to protect kids. The answer is the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). Big Tech is working hard to lobby against KOSA and convince us that it is a censorship bill (it is not). In this conversation with legislative expert, Patrick Lyden, we break down the elements of KOSA and negate the pushback....

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: What Snapchat Isn’t Telling You? The Dark Side of Snapchat (article here) New Research Reveals Communicating Online with Friends Brings Australians Happiness (full report) Stack of TikTok Lawsuits Grows Higher (report here) Schools All Over the Nation Roll Out Phone Bans Phone Free Schools Movement Releases Toolkit (download here) ...

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 former middle and high school French teacher, Kathleen Barlow. Kathleen discusses the challenges of screens in schools and the impact on students' learning and behavior. She shares her experiences as a teacher and...

Even smart kids make bad decisions; decisions that can take their life. This was the case for Judy's son, Erik, who died in 2010 from the choking game. Devastatingly, this trend has since exploded due to social media algorithms which prioritize harmful content into childrens' feeds. In this vulnerable and educational conversation, Judy tells Erik's story and guides parents on how to protect our children from dangerous challenges and other online harms. Get to know Judy and her work...

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: CCDH Releases Report Showing That Instagram is Failing Women (full report) What Happened When 8 Teenagers Went Without Smartphones for 1 Month (full story) New Study by JAMA Found That Tablet Use in Early Childhood Leads to Emotional Disregulation (study here) Research: Kids and Parents Suffering From Still Face Syndrome Due to Screen...

If your child has a phone, they could be accessing a deadly anonymous app. Apps like NGL and others are built for secrecy and drama. Our kids should stay far away. Today you'll learn all about the danger that anonymous apps pose to our kids through the devastating story of Carson Bride, a teenager who fell victim to vicious cyberbullying through an anonymous app connected to Snapchat. Carson's mom, Kristin Bride, highlight the deceptive tactics used by these apps and lack of...