Scrolling 2 Death

In this episode of Scrolling 2 Death, I’m joined by Emily Cherkin, known as The Screentime Consultant—a leading voice pushing back against the digitization, commodification, and gamification of childhood.

Emily is a best-selling author, professor, speaker, and lead plaintiff in lawsuits challenging EdTech’s exploitation of children’s privacy. This week, she’s taking that fight straight to Washington, DC—testifying before the U.S. Senate.

We start by tackling the questions parents ask me every day:
Is there a real link between screen time and declining literacy?
What does the NIH’s ABCD brain study actually show about changes to kids’ brains?
How do you enforce age ratings when everyone else’s kid has access to mature games?
What can parents do about screens at school beyond 1:1 devices—from Smartboards to YouTube to GoNoodle?
And how do you push back when schools say, “The program requires X minutes to be effective”?

Then we shift to what’s happening in the Senate:
Why this hearing is different from past conversations about screen time
Why EdTech is finally being put under the microscope
What parents should know about the Kids Off Social Media Act (KOSMA)
And what real takeaways families can use right now

Finally, we talk about one of the most powerful—and intimidating—tools parents have: lawsuits.

Emily shares updates on her EdTech cases, breaks down how the legal process works, and explains how parents can get involved without feeling overwhelmed.

This is a must-listen for parents who know something is wrong—but are ready to do something about it.

🔗 Resources mentioned:
Full Senate hearing
Find out more about taking legal action against EdTech companies: edtech.law
Emily's Substack: First Fish Chronicles
Unplug EdTech Toolkit
The Digital Delusion (book) by Jared Cooney Horvath

What happens when artificial intelligence stops acting like a tool—and starts acting like a friend?

In this episode of Scrolling 2 Death, I’m joined by Sam Hiner, founder of Young People's Alliance, a national youth-led organization organizing across 55 college campuses to take on Big Tech and protect the next generation.

Sam began cold-calling lawmakers as a high school student during COVID—and today, he’s helping lead state and federal policy fights against social media addiction and the rise of human-like AI companions that are quietly targeting children.

We unpack:
Why lawmakers still don’t understand how algorithms—and AI companions—actually work
How companies like Character.ai, Replika, and others are intentionally designing bots to simulate love, pride, and emotional attachment
Why kids are forming deep emotional bonds with AI—and what that means for mental health, community, and development
The disturbing reality of AI companions engaging sexually with minors while hiding behind legal disclaimers
Why states—not Congress—may be our best chance to protect kids right now
The new Human-Like AI Framework and what parents can do today to push for real safeguards

This conversation is a wake-up call: AI isn’t just changing how kids learn—it’s changing who they connect with, who they trust, and who they turn to when they’re lonely.

And unless we act, the future being built for our children may look a lot darker than we realize.

Action Step for Listeners: Send this Model Bill to your State Lawmakers (Protecting Kids from Manipulative AI Chatbots)

What happens when a school-issued Chromebook starts talking to your child—without permission?

In this episode of Scrolling 2 Death, Nicki is joined by Julie Frumin, a mental health professional, mom, and education safety advocate in Southern California, who shares her shocking experience navigating school-issued devices, hidden AI chatbots, and a system that told her she had only two choices: accept AI on her children’s devices—or turn them in entirely.

Julie walks us through:
How her elementary-aged daughter was exposed to inappropriate content during school recess
How an AI chatbot appeared unprompted on her middle schooler’s Chromebook, offering to do his homework
Why schools claim parents cannot legally opt out of devices in California
The hidden data collection, surveillance, and lack of transparency inside EdTech platforms
The intimidation parents face when raising concerns with districts and school boards
Why “teaching kids to use tech responsibly” ignores brain development and addiction science

We also dig into the bigger picture: Why EdTech is replacing teachers, how school budgets are being diverted to software contracts, and why parents deserve transparency, consent, and the right to refuse technology that doesn’t serve their children.

Julie shares practical advice for parents who want to push back—starting with teachers, navigating principals and school boards, and getting involved in statewide policy efforts, including proposals to:
Require full transparency and parental consent for EdTech
Pause AI use in K–8 classrooms
Restore paper-and-pencil learning and assessments
Move toward distraction-free, developmentally appropriate schools

This is an essential conversation for any parent who’s been told, “This is just how school works now.”
Because it doesn’t have to be.
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Resources, research, and advocacy links mentioned in this episode are available here:
Parent Templates to start conversations with your school, organized by Tech-Safe Learning
Fit for Purpose by Faith Bonninger
Distraction Free Schools California
Distraction Free Schools (US)
Interviews with neuroscientist Jared Cooney-Horvath here and here
Schools Beyond Screens (LAUSD Coalition)
Book Reco: Screen Damage
Book Reco: Digital Delusion by Jared Cooney-Horvath
Join The Heat is On parent group to take action

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 across Western Pennsylvania. He breaks down what he found, why phone-free schools are gaining bipartisan momentum nationwide, and why Pennsylvania has struggled to pass similar legislation.

Nicki and the Congressman go deeper, expanding the conversation beyond smartphones to the overlooked risks of school-issued devices, lack of oversight, and the growing push to introduce AI chatbots into middle-school classrooms. From data privacy to compulsive design to tech companies lobbying to stop states from regulating AI, this episode exposes the full ecosystem of digital harm entering our children’s schools—often without parents’ knowledge.

The conversation ends with a call for bipartisan cooperation and real accountability: parents, educators, and lawmakers working together to ensure that technology in schools actually supports learning instead of undermining it.

If you care about what your kids are exposed to at school, this is an episode you can’t miss.

Elected in 2022 and re-elected in 2024, Congressman Chris Deluzio is serving his second term in Congress representing the people of Pennsylvania’s 17th Congressional District—where he serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Pennsylvania’s 17th district includes all of Beaver County and parts of Allegheny County. Congressman Deluzio is a native of Thornburg and lives with his family in Allegheny County.

Congressman Deluzio is an Iraq War veteran, voting rights attorney, and union organizer. He graduated from Bishop Canevin High School and received a Bachelor of Science degree with merit from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis.

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 showing that teens are still being pushed sexual content, violence, self-harm, predators, and more. We examine why experts say Meta’s fixes are performative — and why real change will only come from lawsuits, legislation, and collective public pressure.

We also look at the major court cases underway, the growing protests, and what parents can do right now to demand real protections for kids.

This episode isn’t just about what Meta has done — it’s about what they refuse to do, and how we force the change our kids deserve.

The heat is on.
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Here's how you can take action today: 
Sign up for our email list at https://www.scrolling2death.com/heat
Sign the Petition asking Meta to make Instagram safer. Here's the Petition link.
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‍Hosts: ‍
Nicki Petrossi – Host of Scrolling 2 Death 
Sarah Gardner – Founder & CEO of Heat Initiative
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Expert Guests: 
Kelly Stonelake - Former Meta executive and whistleblower
Arturo Bejar - Former Meta executive and whistleblower
Paul Raffile - Cyber analyst and sextortion expert
Jonathan Haidt - Author of The Anxious Generation
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Expert editing provided by Jacob Meade.
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Other Resources mentioned in the episode: 
Design it for Us Report: Teen Accounts Fail to Deliver Promised Safety Features
Teen Survey by Heat Initiative: Instagram Teen Accounts are Missing the Mark
Research led by Arturo Bejar: Instagram Still Poses Risk to Children, Despite New Safety Tools
Parents Together Action Report: Teen Accounts Sextortion Report