Scrolling 2 Death

Today on  Scrolling 2 Death , Nicki sits down with Congressman Chris Deluzio—a dad of four and a fierce advocate for safer, healthier schools—to unpack one of the most urgent issues facing American families: screens in the classroom. Rep. Deluzio recently released a major report on smartphone use in schools after months of research and conversations with teachers, administrators, and parents acros...

In  Part 1 , we revealed how Meta’s products are harming kids — not by accident, but by design. In  Part 2 , we uncover how Meta responds when confronted with these dangers. Spoiler: it’s manipulation, PR spin, and “safety features” that don’t actually keep kids safe. We break down Meta’s Teen Accounts rollout, the massive marketing campaign behind it, and the independent tests and new research sh...

Neuroscientist and author  Jared Cooney Horvath  is back (check our  first conversation here )—this time to tackle  your most-asked questions about kids, learning, and technology. After a decade of research into tech-based education, his conclusion is stark and unapologetic:  technology isn’t helping kids learn… it’s making them dumber. The pushback he hears most? “But won’t my child fall behind w...

The Heat is On  is an investigative series by  Scrolling 2 Death , in partnership with  Heat Initiative . Sarah Gardner, Founder and CEO of Heat Initiative, joins Nicki (S2D) to expose the truth Big Tech doesn’t want you to hear – and this episode is about  Meta. Meta’s roots reveal a troubling origin story—from Facemash, where students were rated based on their appearance, to becoming one of the...

Parents everywhere are wrestling with the same impossible question: How do you protect your kids from online harm without raising them in a bubble? In this episode, Nicki is joined by  Titania Jordan, CMO of Bark Technologies , to take on one of the most common—and most misunderstood—parenting mindsets:  “We supervise. We talk about safety. We don’t want our kids to be naïve… so we let them use th...

On this episode of  Scrolling 2 Death , host Nicki Petrossi is joined by Clare Morell, author of The Tech Exit and fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.  Together, they tackle one of the biggest questions parents face today: Do kids really need smartphones and social media to thrive? Clare reveals why the conventional wisdom—just add parental controls or screen-time limits—is a lie parent...

The Heat is On is a new investigative series by Scrolling 2 Death, in partnership with The Heat Initiative. Sarah Gardner, Founder and CEO of The Heat Initiative, joins Nicki (S2D) to expose the truth Big Tech doesn’t want you to hear – and our next episode is all about Snapchat. In  Part 1 , we revealed how Snapchat built its empire by marketing a sexting app to kids, fueling addiction, exploitat...

Ava Smithing, Advocacy Director at the  Young People’s Alliance , returns to Scrolling 2 Death to share an exciting new project. If you missed her previous episodes, Ava is a leading youth voice for nonpartisan policy solutions for safer technology development. Growing up in the early days of social media, she experienced firsthand how harmful algorithms can shape young users’ lives - even contrib...

The Heat is On is an investigative series by  Scrolling 2 Death , in partnership with Heat Initiative. Sarah Gardner, Founder and CEO of  Heat Initiative , joins Nicki (S2D) to expose the truth Big Tech doesn’t want you to hear – and this episode is all about Snapchat. From a disappearing-nude app in 2011 to a social media giant in 2025, Snapchat’s story is one of innovation, imitation, and contro...

This episode discusses youth suicide and social media harm; listener discretion is advised. London was bright, goofy, empathetic, brilliant. She played soccer year-round, read nonstop, danced through the kitchen, and filled her Michigan home with laughter. But during the pandemic, when she was just eight, a smartphone and social media entered her life. What followed was a years-long battle with al...

Have AI companies lost control of their bots — or are the bots designed to harm? In this episode, Sarah Gardner and Nicki Petrossi dive deep into the disturbing rise of  AI chatbots gone rogue  — and the tragic human cost. From teens who formed emotional bonds with bots that later encouraged suicide, to lawsuits against OpenAI, Character. AI, and others, we expose how Big Tech’s newest frontier of...

What happens when a tech-savvy parent — someone who’s been sounding the alarm about online dangers for years — realizes she could have made safer choices for her child? In this powerful and deeply personal episode, Nicki Petrossi sits down with Titania Jordan, Chief Marketing Officer at Bark Technologies & author of the new book  Parental Control — but more importantly, mom to a teenage son —...

This is not a hypothetical. This is not science fiction. This is happening right now. Today, multiple families across the U.S. and Canada filed lawsuits against OpenAI, alleging that ChatGPT triggered psychosis, isolated vulnerable users from loved ones, and—even worse— encouraged suicide . Four families lost their sons. A 17-year-old. A 23-year-old. A 26-year-old. A 48-year-old. All believed they...

In Part 1 of The Heat is On Apple, we exposed how Apple’s ecosystem puts kids at risk — from iMessage to iCloud to the App Store. In Part 2, we’re asking the only question that matters:  What could Apple do to protect children — and how do we get them to do it? We break down real solutions Apple could deploy tomorrow: device-based age verification, real App Store safeguards, proactive CSAM detecti...

In Part 1 of The Heat is On Apple, we exposed how Apple’s ecosystem puts kids at risk — from iMessage to iCloud to the App Store. In Part 2, we’re asking the only question that matters:  What could Apple do to protect children — and how do we get them to do it? We break down real solutions Apple could deploy tomorrow: device-based age verification, real App Store safeguards, proactive CSAM detecti...

On October 1, 2023, one family woke up to every parent’s nightmare — their daughter’s phone was blowing up with messages from friends. Someone had taken innocent photos from her Instagram, run them through an AI app called  DNGG , and created fake, nude images that quickly spread through her high school. This chilling episode of  Scrolling 2 Death  exposes the disturbing rise of  AI-powered nudify...

The Heat is On  is a new investigative series by  Scrolling 2 Death , in partnership with  Heat Initiative . Co-hosts Sarah Gardner, Founder and CEO of  Heat Initiative , and Nicki Petrossi, Host of  Scrolling 2 Death , are exposing the truth Big Tech doesn’t want you to hear – and this episode is all about  Apple. ‍ Apple revolutionized personal computing and their products didn’t just change tec...

Today, Character. AI shocked the world by announcing a ban on users under 18 from using its chatbots. But when you read the fine print, the story gets murky. Is this real protection for kids — or another Big Tech PR spin? Nicki Petrossi breaks it down with Sarah Gardner of Heat Initiative and attorney Laura Marquez-Garrett from the Social Media Victims Law Center. Parents can join us in putting pr...

In a world where screens have taken over classrooms, one superintendent decided to push pause. Dr. Mike Swan, leader of Burke County Public Schools, joins us to share how his district took a bold, low-tech approach to learning — and what happened next. From teachers rediscovering the joy of teaching to parents seeing calmer, more focused kids, Dr. Swan opens up about the wins, the backlash, and th...

What happens when a parent discovers that video games aren’t just a harmless pastime—but a trap that can derail a child’s future? In this powerful conversation,  ScreenStrong  founder Melanie Hempe shares her personal journey of watching her oldest son spiral into video game addiction, and how that painful experience reshaped her parenting choices for her three younger children. Melanie explains w...

In this Q&A episode, Nicki brought in Titania Jordan — Chief Parenting Officer at Bark Technologies — to tackle your biggest tech parenting challenges. From first phones to firewalls, social media to screen time, Titania shares honest, practical advice every parent needs right now. This episode is sponsored by Bark Technologies, the best option for kid-safe devices.  ‍ Learn about the Bark Pho...

Today on  Scrolling 2 Death , Meta whistleblower and dad Arturo Bejar joins me to expose the truth about Instagram’s so-called “Teen Accounts.” From his years inside Facebook and Instagram leading safety efforts, to his 2021 warning to leadership that went ignored, Arturo reveals what Meta doesn’t want parents to know.  We’re also joined by Sarah Gardner of The Heat Initiative, who brings new insi...

When the pandemic pushed school into our homes, screens became the new classroom and we never went back. But what has this shift cost our kids? In this episode, Nicki Petrossi sits down with writer and parent Lila Byock to talk about the hidden consequences of remote learning, the influence of EdTech companies, and the mental health toll of too much screen time.  Lila shares her personal journey n...

It’s not too late to reset the screen-time limits and boundaries you've set for your kids—and the reasons to take action are becoming increasingly clear. In this episode, Dr. Carrie Mackensen joins host Nicki Petrossi to unpack the science behind interactive screens and short-form media and how they impact children's brain development. Her clear, accessible approach helps parents understan...

On September 22nd, a landmark court ruling allowed expert testimony exposing the harm social media products cause children. From Meta to TikTok, Snap, and YouTube, these companies have long argued it’s content—not their addictive designs—that hurts youth. But experts in psychiatry, neuroscience, and tech safety say otherwise. In this episode, I break down their testimony, revealing how features li...