Dear Tween with Allison Ochs

For Anti-Bullying Awareness Week, a student wrote in with a question every tween runs into: how do you know if someone is bullying you online or just joking? I asked my tween co-host to help me answer it, and we got into roast battles, group chats, and why a joke that works in person can land completely differently in a message. He was honest with me, and he pushed back when I said some roasts sho...

Who’s really to blame for AI slop: the AI, or the person typing the prompt? A tween asked, and my tween co-host has a clear answer. We talk Tung Tung Tung Sahur, why people flood the internet with slop (hint: money), the water and energy behind every silly video, and AI fakes that look way too real. His best advice? Before you believe it, ask yourself: is this possible? Is this true? Dear Tween: f...

“You’ve made Duo sad.” A crying owl, an angry red face, even a devil on the home screen widget. My tween co-host asks what to do when a language app starts sending guilt trips, and I share the story of a classroom full of kids who told me Duolingo was giving them nightmares. We talk about why a computer can’t actually feel sad, what a design trick is and why it’s built to make you feel bad, and wh...

A tween asked me what to do after seeing something online they weren’t supposed to see, and my tween co-host gave the most honest answer I’ve heard: “My first thought is to tell my parents. My second thought is, what if they throw my device out the window?” That fear keeps a lot of kids silent, stuck with images and messages they never wanted to see. In this episode we talk about why kids want to...

A tween wrote in asking why their school suddenly switched from laptops in almost every lesson to barely ten minutes a day, and honestly, they find it really annoying. My co-host feels the same way, and we don’t agree on this one, which makes for an interesting conversation. I explain what the research says about handwriting, memory, and focus, and why so many schools are pulling back on screens r...

A tween asked: my friend sent me a mean word and blamed it on autocorrect. Do I believe her? I'm joined by a tween co-host to dig into it. Does autocorrect really turn a normal word into a mean one? (We have our doubts.) We talk about why messages are so easy to misread when there's no tone of voice or body language, how one word in a group chat can turn into a whole fight with people taking sides...

Ding, ding, ding. Our tween co-host wants to know why some kids spam the group chat with the same word or emoji over and over, even when everyone finds it annoying. Allison and Tween talk about why it happens (boredom and wanting attention), how quickly it can turn into kids ganging up, getting kicked out, and getting their feelings hurt, and what to do about it. Allison shares an easy fix every t...

Can you convince my parents to get me a smartphone? It's one of the questions Allison hears most in her workshops, so a tween asked it for everyone. Spoiler: Allison isn't going to convince your parents. But she does explain why waiting is worth it, and our tween guest paints the perfect picture of what happens at the football pitch when one kid shows up with a phone. They also share real ideas fo...

"You could give personal information to AI too, just to tell it to do something related to my email." A sharp question from a tween kicks off this honest conversation about what's actually safe to share online and what isn't: shopping, gaming, free quizzes, phishing emails, and photos. Allison and her young guest talk it through together- no lecture, just the truth.

This question came from a tween who said talking to AI feels easier than talking to real people. No arguments, no awkward pauses, always agreeable. Does that sound familiar? In this episode, Allison sits down with a charming tween who helps her unpack and answer this question, including a big word most tweens have never heard: sycophantic. If you want to talk with your tween or your class about wh...

This question came straight from a tween who had used ChatGPT to do their homework, told everyone it was their own work, and now classmates are asking questions the child can't answer. Does this sound familiar? In this episode, Allison sits down with a charming tween who helps her unpack and answer this question. If you want to discuss with your tween or the class why cheating with AI isn't the be...

The tween asks Allison, "I had ChatGPT do my homework and told everyone it was my idea. Now they're asking me questions I cannot answer. What do I do?" Subscribe to hear the answer and dialogue between Allison and the tween on this topic.