Scrolling 2 Death
Scrolling 2 Death is a podcast for parents who are worried about social media. Through interviews with parents and experts, we explore smartphone use, screen time, school-issued devices, social media use and so much more.
Episodes
Why are kids using so much tech at school?
A hint: the year was 2020.
It started when COVID shut the world down and EdTech became an emergency measure. One-to-one devices kept learning going while schools were closed. It was necessary. But the pandemic ended- and the screens stayed.
At first, digital learning seemed full of promise. In a tech-driven world, it felt like the future. But now, the harms are becoming harder to ...
Jenna Poste, a former tech executive, was once at the forefront of innovation at Blackberry, helping to build products during the rise of the “always on” movement – a time that felt brimming with excitement and productivity. However, as engagement metrics and data collection became the true engines of tech growth, Big Tech extended its reach beyond businesses and into childhood. The consequences are now all too clear: addiction, is...
The Big Tech Gut Check is a weekly update for parents on all things social media and Big Tech.
Updates for this week:
- Meta AI Wants to Access Your Camera Roll, Analyze Pics You Haven't Uploaded
- Leaked Documents Show Meta is Training Chatbots to Message You First, Remember Chats, Keep You Talking
- Former Facebook CEO says Site Should be Banned for Children
- MIT Study Shows Weakened Cognitive Capacity with AI Use
- ANGELQ: A Kid-Safe Web...
Don’t feel guilty—get angry. And then turn that anger into action.
In this powerful episode, law professor and Unwired author Gaia Bernstein joins Nicki from Scrolling 2 Death to talk about the growing crisis of tech addiction—and how it’s impacting our kids. Gaia studied law and technology in the early 2000s, a time marked by great optimism about the promise of global connectivity. As social media gained traction, Gaia grew suspic...
Summer’s here—and that means more sunshine, more free time… and a lot more screen time.
In this episode, Nicki Petrossi sits down with Titania Jordan to talk about the ups, downs, and everything-in-between of parenting through summer break. They swap stories, explore why boredom is actually a gift, and share practical ways to help kids unplug, get outside, and build independence.
From setting healthy tech boundaries to usin...
What happens when a Big Tech insider turns child advocate and parent educator? In this powerful conversation, Sarah Gallagher Trombley — former Snapchat executive — joins Nicki Petrossi to pull back the curtain on the hidden dangers kids face on social media. From Snapchat to TikTok, YouTube to Instagram, no platform is safe. Sarah shares the uncomfortable truth about what parental controls can’t fix, why smart devices are riskier ...
Lavanya Gupta, CEO and Founder of Silana Learning and a former Meta employee, is raising awareness about the hidden dangers of tech. With insight into the inner workings of Big Tech, she made the deliberate choice to keep her young daughters offline. But when the pandemic hit and remote learning became a necessity, she realized the inescapable - and often harmful - role that digital platforms can play, even in the classroom.
Man...
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:
We often hear the most extreme stories - eating disorders, overdoses, suicides – linked to social media. But in reality, many kids are struggling in silence, even while appearing to be okay. Gabriela Nguyen, a recent Harvard graduate and founder of Appstinence, is working to shed light on this issue.
Raised in the Silicon Valley during the rise of social media, Gabriela was hooked from a young age. Her father, shaped by his exper...
Sextortion scams targeting teen boys are on the rise — and they’re happening through platforms parents trust, like Instagram, Snapchat and even Apple’s iMessage. In this eye-opening conversation, Scrolling 2 Death host Nicki Petrossi and Sarah Gardner of Heat Initiative expose the devastating impact of these scams and the chilling truth about Apple’s inaction.
Why hasn’t Apple built better protections? Why are predators thriving...
"I’m convinced they hate us," says Luke Richey, co-founder of Gravity Jack, referring to gaming giants like Roblox and Fortnite - companies he believes knowingly endanger children for profit. His wife and co-founder, Jennifer Richey, adds that 63% of human trafficking involving Gen A and Gen Z now originates through gaming platforms. In 2023 alone, Roblox reported over 13,000 child exploitation incidents - a figure they a...
In this powerful conversation, Nicki Petrossi and Rick Lane dive into the latest legislative moves to make the internet safer for kids. They break down the Take It Down Act, a critical step in fighting back against non-consensual explicit content and AI deepfakes. But the work isn't done.
Parents must continue the pressure to pass additional bills like The DEFIANCE Act, NO FAKES Act and the Kids Online Safety Act.
Nicki and Rick str...
In this explosive episode, I connected with Kelly Stonelake, a former Meta insider who spent 15 years at the company witnessing firsthand how the tech giant prioritizes growth at the expense of user safety. From early roles shaping the Facebook product to leading teams behind major launches, Kelly shares what finally pushed her to speak out. Most recently, she was involved in the development of Horizon Worlds, Meta’s flagship VR ga...
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:
In this honest and heartfelt conversation, Nicki Reisberg sits down with Titania Jordan—chief parent officer at Bark—to talk about the emotional realities of navigating families changes and prioritizing mental health for both parents and children. Together, they unpack the pressures families face today, including rising rates of anxiety and depression among teens.
From personal stories to professional insights, Nicki and Titania...
Fifteen-year-old and co-founder of Lookupp, Atiksh Bhan, remembers when life was better. He and his friends would spend their afternoons biking, exploring the woods and playing games outside. But then, smartphones came along. =
Instead of adventures, they’d spend their time sitting around, scrolling through TikTok. "We’d be huddled around one phone, looking over someone’s shoulder. It just wasn't fun anymore," Atik...
Tim Estes of AngelQ shares eye-opening new research on the growing screen time crisis—and introduces AngelQ as a powerful solution for families.
In this episode, we're diving into the everyday tech battles parents know all too well—screen time struggles, endless scrolling, and the constant worry about what kids are seeing online. We break down some surprising new research on how tech is reshaping family life and why so many ...
In this episode, Nicki Reisberg sits down with Vermont State Representative Angela Arsenault to talk about her groundbreaking Phone and Social Media Free Schools Bill. They explore how removing digital distractions from the classroom can support students’ academic growth, social development, and mental health. Rep. Arsenault opens up about navigating tech use with her own kids and addresses the common concerns from parents and educ...
This week, I break down why I’ve filed a lawsuit against Seesaw, one of the most widely used EdTech apps in K–6 classrooms—and what every parent needs to know about how their child’s personal data is being harvested, stored, and shared without their consent.
Seesaw claims to help track student learning progress. But what I discovered when I requested access to the data they’d collected about my children left me physically sick: ...
Are phones ruining school? One high school principal says yes, and he did something about it.
At Bullard High in Fresno, California, students wandered the halls like zombies, glued to their screens. Lunchtime was silent. Classrooms were battlegrounds for attention. Test scores dropped. Anxiety soared.
Principal Armen Torigian, a Bullard alumnus, took pride in his community and remembered a very different high school experien...
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