Cyber Synapse Podcast

I'm joined by Dean Burnett who is a proper Neuroscientist with a background in lecturing in the domain of mental health...so he knows what he's on about when it comes to the topic of addiction, and whether smartphone addiction is a real thing. Hint: it's not.

I asked Dean onto the show because he's written a new book called "why your parents are hung up on your phone and what to do about it" aimed at the teens who are the subject matter of much of the current narrative surrounding this issue.

Dean is a writer for the BBC science focus magazine and he used ot write for The Guardian helping people understand how brains affect us in the real world and so his latest book is discussed here at length. Dean recently appeared on a BBC Sunday morning show and was not given the time to explain about the current 'chicken little' of smartphone panic about them being an addiction so I asked him on the podcast to tell us about it... spoiler is you will learn some neuroscience about this clinical diagnosis and it might just change your mind = Neuroplasticity (not sorry- this is my small neuro-nerd joke here)

Go grab a coffee and listen in, as this is a most excellent podcast to begin my first video version here on Spotify. So I'm calling it a new season so here we go!

You can find Dean on social media talking about his work, cat and dog under the handle @garwboy and his website is www.deanburnett.com

In today's episode I sit down with my good friend and esteemed colleague Kathleen Sinclair who has written the book F*ck aging.

Kathleens website is www.kathleensinclair.com

Today is a discussion with a friend and colleague in the space of child sexual abuse online where we once again take a look at the approaches used in the removal of this kind of material to protect children online.

The discussion take us on a broad approach to the reporting of, classifications of child sexual abuse, or exploitation, platform violations, adult sexual material, nudes, cartoon versions and the who, what and how of the way in which social media and other websites are removing these images, videos and other types of material.

Andy is great at explaining what parents and professionals working with children can keep their eyes and ears open to, having worked in/for social media companies in the past and has over 20 years of law enforcement experience in this domain.

We discuss 'that question' relating to banning, removing, delaying and more and have a long conversation bout the actual pragmatics about why we think this is wont work on a global level given that this is where the internet is. We consider the approaches of many of the internet safety spaces and what is being said in the realms of trust and safety and what the risks and dangers really are.

No spoilers but please do listen to this section if you have been led to believe that a ban or delay is the solution to a problem that is much more complicated than a simple 'don't' approach. Why parents are not aware of the technical issue at a tech, industry and government level.

We do talk about the great work that social media channels are taking to address some of the issues that are being discussed in todays session, and we put out a plea to the whole of the industries and techn companies to come together in a way that allows us to address the societal issues.

We (and I most certainly say wholeheartedly) duly request that we put the children and vulnerable in the centre of our conversations with the interest of the children and vulnerable as the main focus of the conversation.

For me the last 10-15 mins of this conversation are perhaps the most important in the whole sector of keeping children and vulnerable people safe online.

THIS episode is soooo exciting; I love being able to tell people about tech that is positive and this episode explains when gaming gets to the heart of helping people and helping them help themselves. This is gaming for good, WRIT LARGE!

In todays "uncomfortable" for some people, conversation i am joined by two of my favourite colleagues in the space of Psychosexual Therapy, Sexology and the world of relationships. We have been discussing many of the issues on todays episode for a number of years, so I decided to record our conversation to bring you what "really" happens in a sex therapy session [contrary to the people who do not practice ethically, or lawfully but thats not today conversation but could be another episode soon].

In todays timely episode we are talking "Unlocked" the REAL science of screens, smartphones and more with Professor Pete Etchells, a Science Communicator (a role he discusses in his book) who has been steeped in this domain for a very long time. His research is broad and deep and takes a sensible, I repeat sensible look at the world of what smartphones and devices and use really does show us over time. And yes, that newest 'ban' is discussed in depth as to where the practicalities and panic are being drawn from. To the haters his work is not underpinned by 'funded from big tech' which is a common retort to the work in the UK.This is longer than usual episode because we needed to take stock of the Chicken Little panic and reactive call to get rid of something that is an essential part of our lives, and how we can think about how to protect children from harms online, but... thinking sensibly and with research from a position from someone who has taken the time to deeply read the research and can describe what the findings really mean. We take a tour of the work Pete has been involved in from VVG to the current landscape and beyond with so much critical thinking in this conversation. I LOVED this chat and hope you do too, because we want our children to think critically about the content they see online... and that starts with us the adults!you can find Professor Pete here where you will find some great threads and thinking about this space on twitter/X : @ PeteEtchells and the same for IG

Join Helen Kara and I as she explores the intricacies of trauma-informed research. In this insightful conversation, Helen discusses the ethical considerations and methodologies crucial for conducting research with trauma survivors, those affected by trauma and those studying trauma, Including methods for interviews and costings and trauma therapy and more!

Online safety campaigner and advisor to the Molly Rose foundation