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 suspicious. She began raising alarms in 2017, long before most people r...
Jul 07, 2025•29 min
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 using kid-friendly tools that actually work, this is a real talk on how to su...
Jun 30, 2025•26 min
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 than most parents realize, and how platforms are failing our kids...
Jun 23, 2025•47 min
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. Many parents assume that school-approved apps are safe, but Lavanya war...
Jun 16, 2025•27 min
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 Launches on Apple Watch Snapchat Partners with McDonalds to Promote Snapchat+ Sign the Petition to Urge McDonalds to End Partnership with Snapchat Teenage girls’ TikTok skincare regimes offer little to no benefit, research shows New Study by AngelQ Uncovers: Technology is stealing precious moments from families WSJ: Apple's Role in the T...
Jun 13, 2025•9 min
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 experiences during the Vietnam War, warned her of the power of media to ...
Jun 09, 2025•47 min
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 in their ecosystem? Why is Apple ignoring the CSAM stored in iCloud...
Jun 07, 2025•18 min
"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 admit is likely just the tip of the iceberg. Maybe it’s not hate, but indiff...
Jun 02, 2025•43 min
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 stress the vital role of parents, communities, and advocates in pu...
May 29, 2025•17 min
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 game. Despite internal concerns over safety risks and product read...
May 27, 2025•51 min
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: President Trump Issues Executive Order to Advance AI Education for American Youth TAKE IT DOWN Act Signed Into Law Snapchat Test Account Shows Sexual Content Pushed to Teen Within 5 Minutes TikTok Expands Meditation Feature DEA 2025 National Drug Threat Assessment...
May 23, 2025•10 min
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 explore the power of therapy, the importance of normalizing mental ...
May 22, 2025•18 min
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," Atiksh says. And even though they were ‘connected’ through technology, he felt loneli...
May 19, 2025•23 min
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 parents are worried about screen addiction. But it’s not all doom and gl...
May 15, 2025•44 min
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 educators about safety and communication. They also dig into the legi...
May 12, 2025•44 min
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: thousands of files, photos, videos, audio clips, journal entries, ev...
May 10, 2025•23 min
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 experience. He knew times had changed, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that st...
May 08, 2025•47 min
15% of High Schoolers say they know someone in their school who has had deepfake pornography made of them in the last year. In this eye-opening episode, Nicki Reisberg sits down with Adam Billen of Encode to unpack some of the most urgent and unsettling developments in AI—from the rise of chatbots to the explosion of deep fakes. They dive into what Meta is up to with its new chatbot rollout on Instagram, and why that should raise red flags for anyone with kids online. The conversation then turns...
May 05, 2025•27 min
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: Parents Who Lost Children to Online Harms Protest Outside Meta NYC Meta Tries to Help Parents Enroll More Teens into Teen Accounts Meta's Digital Companions Will Talk Sex with Users -- Even Children Snapchat Announces Family Safety Hub Snapchat Distracts with Support of National Fentanyl Awareness Day [RESEARCH] New Study Shows Teens Admit Social M...
May 02, 2025•10 min
Is screen time silently sabotaging your child’s health? In this eye-opening episode, pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Nidhi Gupta breaks down the hidden toll excessive screen use takes on kids' physical and mental well-being—from disrupted sleep and metabolic issues to rising anxiety and attention problems. She shares age-specific screen time recommendations, the dangers of early exposure to smartphones and social media, and why parents must walk the talk when it comes to digital habits. Packed wit...
May 01, 2025•33 min
What happens when parenting meets the digital age? In this episode, Nicki Reisberg sits down with family therapist Joanne Doucette to unpack the growing mental health challenges families face—especially when screens, gaming, and social media are part of everyday life. With over 25 years of experience supporting parents and kids, Joanne shares what she's seeing on the front lines: rising anxiety, disconnection, and confusion around how to set tech boundaries that actually stick. Together, Nicki a...
Apr 28, 2025•45 min
What’s really going on with Meta and what does it mean for kids? In this episode, Nicki Reisberg sits down with Titania Jordan—chief marketing officer at Bark Technologies—to unpack what the latest headlines actually mean for parents and kids. They dive into the ongoing struggle to keep children safe online, the loopholes predators still exploit, and why Meta’s so-called “safety measures” might not be enough. Plus, they break down the growing legal heat Meta’s facing and what it could mean for t...
Apr 24, 2025•30 min
"My generation wishes we didn't get social media so young. Everyone regrets being allowed to access these platforms. Everyone wishes their parents put more restrictions on their phone. Everyone wishes that they got to enjoy a more carefree childhood." At 20, Maya Englehorn reflects on getting her first smartphone when she was a freshman in high school, but being allowed on Instagram – via tablet – at age nine. Back then, Instagram was simpler - no ads, sponsored posts, or TikTok-like reels. Even...
Apr 21, 2025•34 min
What if the very tech your kids use every day was designed to hijack their minds? In this powerful and unfiltered conversation, child psychologist Dr. Richard Freed exposes how Big Tech is using persuasive design to keep kids hooked on social media and video games—no matter the cost to their mental health. He dives into the psychological tricks baked into these platforms, the skyrocketing rates of anxiety and depression in kids, and the chilling truth: tech insiders know the damage and still pus...
Apr 17, 2025•41 min
Today, April 16, 2025, Jonathan's Haidt's team at the Anxious Generation released an in-depth report into the harms of Snapchat. They examined court cases, reviewed internal documents and even spoke with top executives, finding that Snapchat is harming children at a scale we never imagined. In this mini-episode of Scrolling 2 Death, I break down what parents need to know about Snapchat. You can access the full report on the After Babel Substack here ....
Apr 16, 2025•7 min
In this episode, Nicki Reisberg sits down with Jack Hughes, a passionate 18-year-old and online safety advocate, for a candid and eye-opening chat about what it really takes to keep kids safe in the digital world. Jack opens up about his own experiences growing up with devices and why so many of the parental control tools out there just don’t cut it. They dive into why parents need more than just tech—they need real understanding. Together, they unpack everything from the misleading comfort of a...
Apr 14, 2025•25 min
I gave up my iPhone for a healthier phone (for 30 days). My goals were to be more present with my kids, find better screen time balance and improve my need to be productive at all times. To slow down! I chose the Wisephone for this test because it is the most advanced, intentional phone for adults. It has all the things I need, but none of the apps that can addict me. No, I'm not sponsored! Just curious. I'd love to hear from any parents who have tried alternative phones like the Wisephone , The...
Apr 12, 2025•5 min
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: Meta Expands Teen Accounts Facebook Whistleblower Speaks to Congress (opening statement) Fairplay Files FTC Complaint Against Meta Snapchat Announces Support of Take it Down Act Trump States TikTok Deal is "Still on the table." Statement from ByteDance on TikTok Deal [STUDY] TikTok Ban Loses Support Among Americans [STUDY] Prevalence and Patterns o...
Apr 11, 2025•8 min
Girl meets Instagram. And then her childhood – and her life - are forever altered by the effects of social media. This is what the Surgeon General is telling us. This is what the research is showing us: rising depression, anxiety, eating disorders and suicides. But behind this data, real people are suffering the consequences. Kara Alaimo, communications professor and author of Over the Influence: Why Social Media is Toxic for Women and Girls – And How We Can Take It Back , has researched social ...
Apr 10, 2025•26 min
In this episode, Nicki Reisberg sits down (virtually) with Chris Vineis, founder of Unite for Safe Social Media, to dive into the critical role grandparents can play in protecting kids online. Christine shares her journey from government relations to online safety advocacy, highlighting why we need a united front—parents, grandparents, and communities—to push for change. They tackle the real dangers kids face on social media, how to align between parent and grandparent approach to screen use, an...
Apr 07, 2025•35 min
