Doing Tech Right

ConnectSafely CEO Larry Magid and Education Director Kerry Gallagher dive into the rapidly shifting landscape of artificial intelligence in education. As school boards grapple with a rising "techlash" and parents voice their concerns, Larry and Kerry explore the most critical debate facing modern educators: Should we ban AI in the classroom, or embrace it as the next generation's calculator? We go beyond the headlines to uncover how teachers are actually integrating these tools, why treating AI like a "magic box" is a mistake, and the necessity of teaching genuine AI literacy. Plus, we explore the fascinating cat-and-mouse game of academic integrity.

In this episode of Doing Tech Right from ConnectSafely, host Larry Magid talks with Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss, professor at American University and founding director of PERIL (the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab), about how online environments can contribute to extremism, radicalization, and polarization.

Miller-Idriss explains that radicalization is typically gradual, shaped by desensitization, vulnerabilities like isolation and adverse experiences, parasocial influencer relationships, and direct recruitment—often via gaming chats and related communities that can lead users into encrypted spaces. She discusses dehumanization, democratic backsliding, and how algorithm-driven attention and attachment economies reward outrage and harmful content.

The conversation covers why adolescents are especially vulnerable, warning signs for parents, safe ways to counter misinformation without shaming, and industry steps like disabling addictive features, enabling easier feed controls, and making it simple to reset algorithms.

00:00 Welcome and guest intro
01:18 How radicalization unfolds
04:13 Gaming chats and recruitment
07:10 Lessons from Germany
10:13 Algorithms and addictive design
13:23 Profit motives behind hate
15:40 Countering hate safely
19:49 Why teens are vulnerable
24:10 Warning signs and grooming
27:55 What platforms should change
30:04 Resources and closing

AI’s Environmental Costs, Copyright Battles, and Privacy Risks (Part 2 with Dr. Karen Boyd)

In part two of Larry Magid’s interview with Dr. Karen Boyd on Doing Tech Right, they discuss AI’s environmental impact, noting that video streaming often uses more data-center resources than chatbots, and that water for cooling can burden nearby communities while electricity use adds pollution on a fossil-fueled grid. 

They examine AI training and copyright, possible settlements or taxes, and the unsettled “fair use” debate. 

They cover privacy and security risks from sharing sensitive data with chatbots, including hacking and potential reuse for training, plus unclear “memory” settings and feedback signals. Magid shares using AI to interpret a CT scan, and Boyd recommends cross-checking models, asking for assumptions, and seeking expert confirmation.

00:00 Podcast Intro
00:28 Meet Dr Karen Boyd
00:53 AI Environmental Footprint
02:05 Data Centers And Communities
03:16 Mining And Real Costs
04:52 Practical Ways To Cut Impact
05:44 AI And Copyright Theft
07:48 Paying Creators Fairly
08:29 Privacy Risks With Chatbots
11:17 Data Vaults And Terms
12:13 AI In Medical Imaging
14:42 Fact Checking And Prompts
16:17 Bias And Multiple Views
17:31 Future Outlook And Jobs
19:53 Trade School And Wrap Up
20:19 Book Plug And Credits

In this episode, Larry Magid and Kerry Gallagher discuss the ethical implications of AI in education with values and technology researcher Dr. Karen Boyd. 

The conversation explores critical questions facing educators today: When should students be allowed to use AI tools? How do we balance convenience with learning outcomes? What skills and values might be threatened? The panel examines real concerns, including student resilience, skill atrophy, authenticity in academic work, and the challenge of teaching judgment alongside technology. 

Dr. Boyd shares insights from her recent book, Amplify Good Work: Effective Ethical AI for Mission-Driven Work, and emphasizes the importance of teaching intentional judgment rather than just technical skills. 

00:00 Welcome to Doing Tech Right
00:53 Why AI Ethics Matters
02:38 Meet Dr Karen Boyd
03:43 AI and Student Resilience
05:54 Where to Draw the Line
08:06 Writing Policies in Class
13:12 Values at Stake
15:18 Jobs and Entry Level Fears
19:30 Deepfakes and Media Literacy
21:59 Trust and AI Detection
25:23 Art Authenticity and AI
26:10 Closing Thoughts and Book
27:26 Credits and Sign Off

In this episode of Doing Tech Right, Larry  talks with Nicholas Carlisle, CEO of Power of Zero, about childhood moving online and the rapid spread of AI as a transformative “general purpose technology.”

Carlisle explains the origin of Power of Zero’s name and its focus on helping children use technology responsibly with “zero violence and zero bullying” from an early age. They discuss very young children’s screen exposure, World Health Organization guidance on limiting screen time for ages 2–5, and the importance of avoiding displacement of face time and physical play.

The conversation also covers the harms of passive scrolling, online harassment—especially targeting young women.

Carlisle outlines Power of Zero’s education-first approach, including its Superpowers Program teaching 12 character strengths for kindergarten through third grade.


00:00 Welcome to Doing Tech Right
00:29 Meet Nicholas Carlisle
01:04 Childhood Goes Online
02:03 AI as a Mega Shift
03:55 Why Power of Zero
05:24 Screens and Tiny Kids
08:04 Healthy Screen Balance
10:25 Passive vs Active Online
13:48 Harassment and Deepfakes
15:57 Education Over Regulation
17:37 Programs Around the World
19:10 Preparing Kids for AI
21:21 Guardrails and Resilience
22:50 Wrap Up and Credits

This week, Larry speaks with longtime ConnectSafely partner Matthew Soeth, head of the nonprofit Thriving in Games group, about why online games matter and how to make multiplayer gaming safer and more fun. 

They discuss the social, cognitive, and teamwork benefits of gaming and esports, including opportunities for neurodivergent youth, and how design choices (like player matching and communication settings) can reduce friction and harassment while encouraging helping behaviors.

Matt addresses toxicity, misogyny, moderation, and community self-regulation, and explains why research does not link violent games to offline violence, emphasizing attention to broader behavioral indicators and parent-child conversations. He shares practical parenting advice on setting limits, shared screen time, and staying engaged, and shares his podcast, Safety Is Redacted.

00:00 Welcome to Doing Tech Right
00:28 Meet Matthew Soes
01:58 Why Kids Love Games
03:06 Gaming Goes Mainstream
05:15 Skills and Esports Benefits
07:00 Toxicity and Game Design
10:48 Sportsmanship and Cheating
14:24 Violence and Ratings
18:22 Stereotypes and Overuse
20:58 Misogyny and Moderation
23:26 Parenting Tips for Gaming
26:00 Raising Adults with Boundaries
28:00 Matt's Podcast and Wrap Up
28:36 Credits and Sign Off

In this episode of Doing Tech Right, Kerry Gallagher and Larry Magid explore how conversational AI can feel human, why that can be both useful and risky, and what it means for children, families, and educators.

They discuss the importance of verifying AI-generated information, helping young people use AI to support rather than replace learning, and the growing concerns around AI deepfakes and “nudification,” especially targeting girls.

Drawing on recent audience questions from a California event on women and girls’ online safety, they offer practical advice for parents, schools, and young people on responding to emerging risks while keeping the focus on resilience, media literacy, and informed, not fear-based, decisions. 

00:00 Welcome to Doing Tech
00:29 In Person Again
01:19 Before AI Era
01:46 Why AI Feels Human
04:07 Verify Before You Trust
06:18 Kids Using AI for School
07:58 Smart Homework Examples
09:35 Deepfakes Targeting Girls
11:18 What Is Nudification
13:22 If It Happens Tell Someone
14:21 Building Trusted Adults Network
15:23 From Deepfakes to Sextortion
16:15 Sextortion First Steps
16:30 You Are Not To Blame
17:45 Law Enforcement Perspective
18:59 School Response Playbook
20:46 Handling The Classmate
22:10 Accountability And Motives
24:06 Talking About Deepfakes
26:54 Parenting Without Fear
28:46 Resilience And Wrap Up

Larry is joined by Trisha Prabhu, who created the Rethink app at 13 to prompt users to pause before posting potentially harmful words.

Now in law school, Prabhu leads Rethink Citizens, a nonprofit focused on K–12 education and empowerment through a youth incubator for ideas to improve the internet, training students to deliver social media safety workshops for parents, and digital literacy education.

They discuss digital parenting strategies for young children, the limits and drawbacks of social media bans versus common-sense regulation, and how AI shifts risks toward deepfakes, truth and democracy concerns, and platform liability. They also address young-adult issues like harassment, reliance on social media for connection, online activism, and building resilience after harm.

Larry hosts Amanda Lenhart to discuss her newest study for the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, where kids and parents used playful activities to surface challenges and brainstorm solutions for managing technology at home.

Lenhart explains a key takeaway: digital parenting is cyclical—families repeatedly research, adopt, “unbox,” and then continually manage devices as children mature and new tools arrive—creating exhaustion but also building experience parents can reuse. They compare tech safety to car safety (airbags, seat belts, car seats), arguing for stronger safety-by-design defaults alongside optional fine-grained controls.

They discuss shifting risks, moral panics, rapid tech change, platform incentives, social media age bans, and the importance of respectful, ongoing conversations focused on maturity signals, balance, and scaffolding kids toward independent digital adulthood.

00:00 Welcome to Doing Tech
00:29 Meet Amanda Lenhart
01:05 Inside the Cooney Study
01:40 Playful Co Design Methods
03:18 Why Younger Kids Matter
06:27 Joan Ganz Cooney Center
07:25 Parenting Tech Cycle
11:29 Exhausted Parents Burden
14:01 Safety by Design Defaults
16:38 How Tech Has Changed
17:49 Perjuvenile and Risk Fears
19:14 Media Narratives vs Data
21:34 Meta Verdict Turning Point
22:22 Why Change Fails Inside Big Tech
25:20 Tech Change Outpaces Research
26:41 Parent Talks Not Lectures
27:48 Maturity Signals For Devices
 29:37 Holding The Line With Teens
32:15 Bans And Digital Adulthood
33:26 Australia Under 16 Ban
35:26 Youth Pushback And Analog Trends
38:40 From Attention To Attachment AI
43:04 Parent Advice Balance Over Bans
45:31 Neurodivergent Kids And Gaming Wins
46:35 Closing Thoughts And Optimism

This week Larry Magid interviews Shea Gardner, director of policy and research for LGBT Tech, about LGBTQ+ experiences online and the organization’s policy work.

Gardner shares that LGBTQ+ people rely on digital spaces for community and resources but face worse socioeconomic outcomes and persistent online hate that reflects worsening real-world hostility; annual polling shows LGBTQ+ users report severe harassment yet still often feel safer online than offline.

They discuss how youth-safety legislation, bans, and mandated parental controls can unintentionally censor or endanger youth who need online lifelines, emphasizing education and digital literacy.

Gardner describes LGBT Tech’s approach to being “at the table” in policy debates and shares practical safety tips like blocking keywords and an upcoming resource compiling moderation tools across platforms. 

00:00 Welcome to Doing Tech Right
00:30 Meet Shea Gardner
01:23 What LGBT Tech Does
02:55 Online Harassment Today
04:55 Youth Safety Laws Risks
05:37 Parental Controls Tradeoffs
09:26 Policy Work and Inclusion
10:59 Staying Safe on Platforms
13:08 2026 Priorities and AI
16:42 How AI Can Exclude
18:43 Romance Chatbots Debate
23:34 AI as Mental Health Lifeline
26:26 Wrap Up and Credits