Meta has agreed to pay up to $18 billion to settle lawsuits brought by nearly every U.S. state over allegations that Facebook and Instagram were intentionally designed to keep young people engaged while exposing them to serious harm.

It’s being called a historic victory, and even Big Tech’s “Big Tobacco moment, “ but Meta admitted no wrongdoing, billions of dollars are conditional, many of the new protections can be overridden by parents, and thousands of other lawsuits remain unresolved.

In this episode, Sarah welcomes back former social media executive turned digital safety advocate Nicki Petrossi to break down what Meta actually agreed to, which changes could meaningfully help teenagers, and where the settlement falls short.

They also clarify the different legal cases involving Meta, including the New Mexico verdict, the K.G.M. trial in Los Angeles, state lawsuits, individual plaintiffs, and cases brought by school districts.

Most importantly, Nicki explains why this settlement is not an “all clear” for parents, and why meaningful protection will require enforceable, industry-wide standards that don’t expire after ten years.

More About Nicki:

Nicki Petrossi is a former social media executive turned social media reform advocate. In late 2023, Nicki launched Scrolling 2 Death, a podcast for parents who are worried about social media. It’s a safe space to elevate the human experiences of children online and educate parents on how to keep them safe.

In 2025, Nicki launched Tech-Safe Learning Coalition, which supports parents related to issues with school tech, and The Heat is On, an investigative mini-series and parent movement to hold Big Tech accountable for harm to children.

Nicki also travels the world as an event speaker, inspiring families, educators and lawmakers through online safety education and awareness.

Connect w/ Nicki: 

Founder & Host, Scrolling 2 Death Podcast

Co-Founder, Tech-Safe Learning Coalition

Founder, S2D Foundation

Resources and links

Motley Rice Social Media Evidence Library

Meta’s settlement explained

The Tech Transparency Project

Connect with Sarah Adams:

Website

Instagram

TikTok

Podcast

Podcast Instagram

Podcast TikTok

Chapters:

(00:00) Why Meta’s settlement matters

(02:04) Disturbing advertisements uncovered on Meta’s platforms

(05:29) Are social media companies suppressing their critics?

(08:05) The case against Meta and why it settled

(11:19) Is this a victory for children or a favourable deal for Meta?

(14:49) Breaking down the settlement money

(16:40) The new restrictions planned for teen accounts

(18:17) Why parents can override many of the protections

(20:46) Can this be called accountability without an admission of wrongdoing?

(22:38) Is the financial penalty large enough to change Meta’s behaviour?

(23:48) Individual, state, and school-district lawsuits explained

(26:30) Meta’s appeals and what happens next

(27:33) Is this Big Tech’s “Big Tobacco moment”?

(29:15) What the settlement means for parents

(31:28) Is any social platform truly safe for children?

(32:37) What gives Nicki hope

(34:51) The next fight: Big Tech inside schools

(36:48) Where to follow Nicki and access her parent resources

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Technology has changed dramatically in just a few years, but has our approach to parenting kids online kept up?

This week on Parents Uncharted, Sarah sits down with Dr. Devorah Heitner, author of Growing Up in Public and Screenwise, for a nuanced conversation about raising kids in an increasingly connected, tracked, and AI-powered world.

Devorah explains why the explosion of generative AI has created new challenges for families, particularly as chatbots increasingly simulate friendship and emotional connection. But she also cautions against making fear, avoidance, or delay our only parenting strategy. Kids need opportunities to build judgment, independence, digital literacy, and the ability to navigate technology when parents aren’t watching.

Sarah and Devorah also explore the growing culture of parental surveillance: location tracking, reading texts, monitoring grades, and receiving constant updates about children’s lives. While technology can sometimes support healthy habits, Devorah argues that having access to information doesn’t necessarily mean parents need to see it, and that too much monitoring can increase parental anxiety while undermining children’s independence.

The conversation also gets practical, covering group chats, phone etiquette, location sharing, digital reputation, comparison culture, device boundaries, and the conversations families should be having as kids head back to school.

Ultimately, this episode isn’t about being anti-tech. It’s about shifting from monitoring kids to mentoring them, and helping children develop the skills they need to eventually navigate the digital world without us.

More About Dr. Devorah Heitner 

Dr. Devorah Heitner is the author of Growing Up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World and Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and CNN Opinion. She has a Ph.D. in Media/Technology & Society from Northwestern University and has taught at DePaul and Northwestern. She is delighted to be raising her own teenager and she lives with her family in Chicagoland. 

Connect w/ Dr. Devorah Heitner

Website

Substack 

Instagram

Connect with Sarah Adams:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://momuncharted.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/mom.uncharted/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@mom.uncharted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://parentsuncharted.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/parents.uncharted/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@parents.uncharted⁠

Chapters:

00:00) Introduction

(00:59) What has changed since Growing Up in Public?

(01:31) The explosion of AI in kids' lives

(04:27) When AI starts acting like a friend

(05:54) The problem with AI being a constant “yes person”

(08:35) Why parents feel so anxious about technology

(10:05) Why delaying technology isn't enough

(12:13) Mentoring vs. monitoring kids online

(15:42) Is tracking actually making parents more anxious?

(20:11) Back-to-school digital conversations families need

(22:16) Device zones, bedtime, and healthy tech habits

(23:50) How kids can navigate toxic group chats

(27:40) Teaching tweens and teens phone etiquette

(30:16) Snapchat, Instagram, and location sharing

(31:54) Teaching kids about digital reputation and privacy

(34:42) Why kids, and adults, should periodically clean up their feeds

(36:21) Comparison culture, achievement, and college admissions

(39:02) One digital habit parents should stop

(41:59) What gives Devorah hope about this generation

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How much of your child's school day is actually happening on a screen, and is that technology helping them learn?

This week on Parents Uncharted, Sarah sits down with Emily Cherkin, former middle school teacher, author of The Screen Time Solution, founder of The Screen Time Consultant, and writer behind First Fish Chronicles, for a conversation about the rapid expansion of EdTech in schools.

Emily explains why giving children more technology isn't the same as teaching them how technology works, what may be displaced when lessons move onto Chromebooks and digital platforms, and why parents should be asking harder questions about effectiveness, privacy, student data, literacy, and the growing integration of AI into classrooms.

They also discuss the difference between EdTech and tech education, the loss of long-form reading, why teachers can become trapped inside technology ecosystems they didn't choose, and what parents can realistically do if they want a more tech-intentional education for their children.

If you've spent years thinking about screen time at home but haven't considered how much technology your child is using at school, this episode is an important place to start.

Chapters

(00:00) – How Much of the School Day Is on a Screen?

(02:33) – The Screen Time Parents Aren't Thinking About

(04:26) – What Actually Counts as EdTech?

(06:41) – Why Is YouTube Being Used in Classrooms?

(08:25) – How EdTech Became the Infrastructure of School

(11:55) – Is There Evidence EdTech Improves Learning?

(13:48) – Is It Effective, Safe, Legal, and Better Than a Teacher?

(17:16) – Why Parents Should Care About Student Data & Privacy

(20:47) – What Are Screens Displacing?

(22:21) – AI Chatbots Are Already Entering Classrooms

(23:21) – EdTech, Teacher Workload & the Promise of a Quick Fix

(27:12) – EdTech and the Literacy Crisis

(32:35) – Are Adults Modelling the Behaviour We Want From Kids?

(36:07) – EdTech Is NOT Technology Education

(39:40) – Can Parents Actually Opt Out of School Technology?

(41:16) – The Question Parents Should Ask Their School

(43:52) – Emily's Unplug EdTech Toolkit

(45:30) – What Emily Wants Every Parent to Know

More About Emily Cherkin

Emily Cherkin, M.Ed., The Screentime Consultant, is leading the fight for a Tech-Intentional™ childhood. Emily works with schools, families, policymakers, and advocacy organizations to ensure the future of education prioritizes skills, safety, and relationships over screens, EdTech, and A.I. Emily is an author, speaker, consultant, and associate professor of public policy at the University of Washington. She is also co-chair of Fairplay’s Screens in Schools Action Network and the lead plaintiff in a class action lawsuit against one of the largest EdTech companies in the world. Emily is also the creator of the UnPlug EdTech Toolkit.

Connect with Emily Cherkin

Website: www.thescreentimeconsultant.com

Instagram: @thescreentimeconsultant

LinkedIn: @emily-cherkin

Connect with Sarah Adams:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://momuncharted.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/mom.uncharted/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@mom.uncharted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://parentsuncharted.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/parents.uncharted/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@parents.uncharted

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Back-to-school season used to mean pencils, notebooks and maybe a new pair of shoes. Now, open TikTok or YouTube and you can find kids displaying hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars worth of clothes, makeup, skincare and accessories in elaborate “back-to-school hauls.”

But this episode isn't really about one teenager with a pile of shopping bags, it's about the culture we've created around our kids.

In this solo episode of Parents Uncharted, Sarah explores the growing intersection of childhood, consumerism and influencer culture, and how social media has transformed advertising from something that interrupts entertainment into the entertainment itself.

Kids aren't simply being sold products. They're absorbing messages about what success looks like, what their bedrooms should look like, what they should wear, what they should own and, increasingly, what a “good life” is supposed to look like.

At the same time children are being encouraged to constantly buy more, replace more and keep up with the next trend, they are also growing up amid climate change, extreme heat, wildfires and environmental instability. From fast fashion and textile waste to a culture that normalizes buying things we already own simply because a new version is trending, this episode asks whether the values being reinforced online are compatible with the future we say we want for our kids.

Because underneath the hauls, affiliate links, TikTok trends and endless packages is a much bigger parenting question: what do we want our children to believe a good life looks like, and is the version we're modelling compatible with the world they're inheriting?

Chapters

(00:00) — When Back-to-School Became a Haul

(02:15) — Wanting vs. Needing: What Are Kids Learning?

(05:55) — Social Media Supercharged Consumerism

(07:25) — When the Advertisement Becomes the Entertainment

(10:35) — Materialism, Happiness & Well-Being

(11:10) — Parents Are Part of This Culture Too

(13:30) — The Environmental Cost of “More”

(17:45) — What Parents Can Actually Do

(18:30) — Teach Kids to Recognize the Sales Pitch

(20:45) — Shop Your House Before Shopping the Store

(22:55) — Look at Their Feed—and Yours

(24:25) — Model What “Enough” Looks Like

(26:00) — What Do We Want Kids to Value?

(27:25) — Raising Kids for the World They're Inheriting

Connect with Sarah Adams:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://momuncharted.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/mom.uncharted/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@mom.uncharted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://parentsuncharted.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/parents.uncharted/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@parents.uncharted

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Why can watching someone online begin to feel like knowing them, and when does that attachment become unhealthy?

In this episode of Parents Uncharted, Sarah speaks with Dr. Jess Maddox, an associate professor of media studies at the University of Georgia and founding editor-in-chief of Creator and Influencer Studies.

Jess explains what parasocial relationships actually are, why they are not inherently harmful and how social media has intensified them by making interactions with creators feel increasingly reciprocal. Together, Sarah and Jess explore how influencers and platforms cultivate intimacy to build engagement, loyalty and profit.

The conversation examines why family content creates especially powerful attachments. When audiences watch children grow up and are invited into intimate family moments, they may begin to feel like relatives or stakeholders in that child’s life, even though the child never chose that relationship.

Sarah and Jess discuss “TikTok aunties,” the anger audiences sometimes express when parents remove their children from social media, and how children themselves form parasocial relationships with kidfluencers. Young viewers may struggle to distinguish friendship from entertainment and advertising, especially when content is designed to feel casual and authentic.

They also explore Reddit snark communities and “anti-fandom,” where intense dislike can begin to resemble fandom and escalate into harassment, surveillance or stalking.

The episode concludes with practical guidance for parents and creators: teach children that the people they follow are not their friends, remind them that social media is a curated representation of reality, advocate for stronger digital literacy education and always prioritize a child’s dignity and safety over audience growth.

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction

(01:32) What Does “Parasocial” Actually Mean?

(03:38) Why Parasocial Relationships Are Not Always Bad

(05:26) When Online Attachment Becomes Unhealthy

(07:05) The “1.5-Way” Social Media Relationship

(09:04) Influencer Fandom, Loyalty and Online Teams

(10:15) How Creators Cultivate Parasocial Relationships

(12:49) How Platforms Encourage Emotional Attachment

(14:12) Why Family Content Feels So Intimate

(16:33) When Viewers Feel Entitled to Parenting Decisions

(17:18) The Difference Between Intimacy and Exploitation

(20:38) Can Parents Ethically Build Parasocial Relationships Around Children?

(24:26) What Happens When Parents Remove Their Children Online

(25:03) “We Made You Famous, You Owe Us”

(26:19) The Problem With “TikTok Aunties”

(28:01) Comparison, Aspiration and Consumerism

(29:33) How Algorithms Exploit Vulnerable Moments

(30:46) When Children Confuse Advertising With Friendship

(33:05) Signs a Child’s Attachment May Be Becoming Unhealthy

(34:47) Reddit Snark and Anti-Fandom

(38:19) When Snark Becomes Harassment or Stalking

(40:53) Why Fans Sometimes Become Haters

(42:03) What Parents Should Teach Children

About Dr. Jess Maddox:

Jessica Maddox is an Associate Professor of Media Studies in the Department of Entertainment and Media Studies at the University of Georgia. Her research focuses on content creators, influencers, and social media platforms. 

She is the author of Anatomy of an Internet Scandal: How Content Creators and Audiences Fuel the Outrage Machine (University of California Press, 2027) and The Internet is for Cats: How Animal Images Shape Our Digital Lives (Rutgers University Press, 2023). 

Since 2023, she has been involved in a U.S. federal policy coalition for child social media labor laws, and has testified in numerous states on child influencer protection bills. She is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the academic journal Creator & Influencer Studies and is on the academic advisory circle of the American Influencer Council.

Connect with Dr. Jess Maddox:

TikTok: @drjess21

Instagram: @jessmaddox21

Threads: @jessmaddox21

Connect with Sarah Adams:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://momuncharted.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/mom.uncharted/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@mom.uncharted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://parentsuncharted.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/parents.uncharted/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@parents.uncharted

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What does it cost to build a platform around motherhood when your identity, marriage and parenting choices are constantly open to public debate?

In this episode of Parents Uncharted, Sarah speaks with Renee Reina, creator and host of The Mom Room, about the changing world of motherhood content and what it means to build a community while being publicly perceived.

Renee explains how the isolation of 2020 inspired her to begin creating honest, comedic content about default parenting, marriage and the less polished realities of motherhood. She and Sarah discuss why online parenting conversations have become so polarized, how motherhood content has shifted from relatable frustration toward idealized “tradwife” messaging, and why women are so often judged as either good mothers or bad mothers, with very little room for nuance.

Renee also opens up about Reddit commentary, responding to critical comments, resisting the pressure to become a traditional product-focused influencer and learning not to allow either praise or criticism from strangers to determine her self-worth.

The conversation then turns to one of the most complicated questions facing parent creators: where should the boundary be when it comes to sharing children online?

Sarah and Renee have an honest and respectful disagreement about children’s privacy, digital autonomy and the possible benefits and risks of growing up adjacent to a public platform. Renee shares how her approach to featuring her son, Milo, has evolved as he has grown older, the boundaries she maintains around vulnerable moments and real-time locations, and how she compensates him when he participates in paid content.

Together, they explore whether parents can foster a child’s interest in YouTube, podcasting and digital creation without immediately making that child public, and why learning to film, edit, perform and communicate does not require a child to build an audience.

This is a nuanced conversation about modern motherhood, public visibility and the difficult choices parents make when family life intersects with the creator economy.

Chapters:

(00:00) Introduction

(02:28) Why Renee Created The Mom Room

(06:26) How Motherhood Content Has Changed

(09:16) Why Parenting Online Is So Polarizing

(10:34) The Cost of Being a Woman and Mother Online

(14:54) Does Renee Consider Herself an Influencer?

(15:54) Consumerism, Affiliate Links and Creator Fatigue

(18:05) The Best Part of Building The Mom Room

(20:26) When Marriage and Family Become Content

(23:23) Sharing Relationship Problems in Real Time

(24:59) Reddit Snark and Online Speculation

(28:11) Fair Criticism Versus Invasive Commentary

(29:46) Why Renee Responds to Negative Comments

(31:26) Renee’s Boundaries Around Sharing Milo

(33:45) What Children Can Learn From Content Creation

(35:08) Sarah Pushes Back on Privacy and Necessity

(37:10) Personal Branding and Future Opportunities

(39:01) Brand Partnerships Involving Children

(41:36) Real-Time Posting and Protecting Private Moments

(44:28) Advice for Mothers Who Want to Create Content

(46:42) Building Better Boundaries Around Online Work

About Renee Reina:

Renee Reina is the creator and host of The Mom Room, a podcast and online community built around honest, humorous and unfiltered conversations about motherhood, marriage, parenting and pop culture.

After completing her PhD and suddenly finding herself at home with her young son during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Renee began creating comedic videos about default parenting and the small but deeply relatable frustrations many mothers experience. Her content resonated with parents who were searching for a less polished and more candid representation of motherhood.

Through The Mom Room, Renee has developed a recognizable voice in the online motherhood space and has interviewed a wide range of parents, experts, creators and public figures.

Connect With Renee:

Podcast: The Mom Room

Instagram: @themomroom

Personal Instagram: @thereneereina

Connect with Sarah Adams:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://momuncharted.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/mom.uncharted/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@mom.uncharted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@parents.uncharted

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Video games are often treated as one more screen to limit, a source of family conflict or a threat to children’s well-being. But what if parents are asking the wrong questions about gaming?

In this episode of Parents Uncharted, Sarah speaks with Dr. Rachel Kowert and Arana Shapiro from Games for Change about how families can approach video games with less fear, more curiosity and better information.

Their new white paper, Raising Good Gamers: What Families Need to Know About Video Games and Wellbeing, found that parents looking online for gaming advice are five times more likely to encounter negative messaging than practical, evidence-based guidance, even though nearly 60% of children say they want their parents involved in their gaming experiences.

Together, Sarah, Rachel and Arana examine why all screen time should not be treated equally, what children may be learning through play and how parents can distinguish enthusiastic gaming from genuinely problematic behaviour. They also discuss violent video games, online friendships, Roblox safety, collaborative boundaries and the often-overlooked social, cognitive and emotional benefits of gaming.

In this episode, we discuss:

This conversation is not an argument for unlimited gaming or for ignoring legitimate platform risks. It is an invitation to move beyond blanket fear and become more informed, curious and involved in the spaces our children value.

Because raising healthy gamers does not begin with controlling every minute. It begins with understanding what our children are doing, creating boundaries with them and staying close enough that they continue talking to us.

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction

(01:40) What is Games for Change?

(04:50) Why parents are still asking the same gaming questions

(06:39) The biggest misconceptions about video games

(08:20) What children can learn from Animal Crossing

(11:13) Healthy gaming versus problematic gaming

(15:04) Do violent video games cause violent behaviour?

(17:23) Why quality matters more than quantity

(20:53) The social, emotional and cognitive benefits of gaming

(23:42) How video games help children practise resilience

(24:04) Creating boundaries without constant conflict

(27:30) How non-gaming parents can connect with their children

(28:54) Online friendships, autonomy and safety

(33:38) The SPACE framework for healthy gaming

(35:16) When parents or co-parents have different gaming rules

(37:03) How parents should approach Roblox

(40:10) What every parent should remember about gaming

(41:06) Where to find Games for Change and Raising Good Gamers

About the Guests:

Dr. Rachel Kowert

Dr. Rachel Kowert is a research psychologist, award-winning author and the research director at Games for Change. For more than 15 years, her work has focused on mental health, online safety, trust and social connection within digital games.

She has presented her research to organizations including the United States Congress, the United Nations and the Department of Homeland Security. Her work helps translate academic research about games and digital communities into practical guidance for families, educators and policymakers.

Arana Shapiro

Arana Shapiro is the chief operating and programs officer at Games for Change. She is an educator and social entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience using games, play and game design to transform learning.

Arana previously helped develop Quest to Learn, the first public school built around a game-based learning model. Her work focuses on helping young people, educators and families use games as tools for learning, creativity, citizenship and positive social impact.

About Games for Change

Games for Change is a nonprofit organization that works to demonstrate how games and immersive media can create social impact beyond entertainment.

Its work brings together game developers, researchers, educators, policymakers and young people through initiatives including the annual Games for Change Festival, youth and educator programs, and Raising Good Gamers, an initiative designed to help families better understand video games and build healthier gaming environments.

Resources and Where to Connect:

Games for Change: gamesforchange.org

Raising Good Gamers: raisinggoodgamers.org

White paper: Raising Good Gamers: What Families Need to Know About Video Games and Wellbeing

Connect with Sarah Adams:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://momuncharted.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/mom.uncharted/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@mom.uncharted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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What happens when the person giving you health advice is also making money from your fear?

Wellness influencers often appear relatable, confident and deeply invested in helping their audiences live healthier lives. But behind the personal stories, aspirational routines and seemingly educational content, there may also be affiliate links, unregulated products, exaggerated claims and carefully constructed sales funnels.

In this episode of Parents Uncharted, Sarah sits down with Mallory DeMille, better known online as @this.is.mallory, to examine how wellness influencers build trust, spread misinformation and turn parental anxiety into profit.

Mallory shares how following wellness influencers negatively affected her own relationship with food, fitness and body image, even with a background in marketing. She explains why personal testimonials can feel more persuasive than scientific evidence, how influencers position themselves as more trustworthy than medical experts and why contrarian health claims perform so well online.

Sarah and Mallory also explore the troubling intersection between wellness culture and family content. From parents sharing children’s private medical information to using children as testimonials for supplements, treatments and wellness products, this conversation asks what happens when a child’s diagnosis, disability or health journey becomes part of a parent’s business model.

Together, they discuss:

This conversation is an important reminder that misinformation does not always look extreme or obviously deceptive. Sometimes it looks like a beautiful home, a healthy family, a personal transformation and a discount code.

Our children need to understand that confidence is not the same as credibility and that the person appearing on their feed may not have their best interests at heart.

Chapters

(00:00) — Welcome and introduction to Mallory DeMille

(01:26) — How Mallory entered the wellness influencer world

(03:15) — Social media’s impact on body image

(05:41) — Passive scrolling and algorithmic influence

(07:44) — The misinformation that changed Mallory’s perspective

(10:59) — Why Mallory began publicly challenging wellness culture

(13:21) — Why influencers can feel more trustworthy than experts

(16:03) — When educational content is really a sales funnel

(17:37) — Red flags in online wellness advice

(20:02) — Teens, health content and parental influence

(22:40) — Monetizing children’s diagnoses and medical journeys

(25:27) — The crunchy-wellness and conspiracy pipeline

(27:24) — Is diet culture being rebranded as wellness?

(29:23) — Looksmaxxing and treating the body like a business card

(34:41) — Children being used as product testimonials

(36:56) — Medical privacy and permanent digital footprints

(40:19) — How fear-based marketing targets mothers

(42:08) — How algorithms deepen wellness rabbit holes

(43:42) — Teaching families who to trust online

About Mallory DeMille

Mallory DeMille is a content creator who utilizes her background in marketing and social media to make commentary on how the wellness industry markets itself, specifically through wellness influencers with discount codes. She is perfectly happy being the person DMing a wellness company asking “are your affiliates allowed to make this claim?”.

Far from being “anti-wellness”, in addition to her business degree, she has a diploma in Fitness & Health Promotion and many years of fitness instructing under her belt. As an evidence-based wellness girlie, she cares about truth in advertising and protecting your health and wellness from bad actors with slick, convincing marketing.

Connect with Mallory DeMille

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/this.is.mallory/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mallorydemille 

Connect with Sarah Adams:

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Ray-Ban Meta glasses are being sold as stylish, convenient and increasingly inevitable. But when an ordinary-looking pair of glasses can record the people around you, who is responsible for consent, and who carries the risk?

In this solo episode of Parents Uncharted, Sarah examines the growing normalization of camera-enabled smart glasses and why parents should be paying attention. Unlike a phone held up to record, smart glasses can remove the social cues that tell us a camera is present, leaving children, families and other bystanders unaware that they may be captured.

Sarah explores why a small recording light cannot replace meaningful consent, what these devices could reveal about a child’s identity and daily life, and why wearable cameras are entering a world where women and girls are already disproportionately recorded, sexualized, stalked and harassed.

She also discusses the influencer economy surrounding Ray-Ban Meta glasses, including Kylie Jenner’s partnership with the brand and the growing number of influencers and momfluencers presenting surveillance technology as fashionable lifestyle content.

In this episode, Sarah discusses:

This is not an argument against every possible use of assistive technology. It is a demand that convenience never come at the expense of children’s privacy, women’s safety or our collective right to move through the world without unknowingly becoming someone else’s next viral video. 

Chapters

(00:00) Why Sarah is talking about Meta glasses

(01:40) Surveillance technology disguised as fashion

(02:05) The central problem: meaningful consent

(03:20) Why the recording light is not enough

(05:00) What strangers could capture about your child

(07:20) Accessibility benefits and the need for nuance

(09:10) The troubling daycare recording example

(10:35) Data collection and the facial-recognition future

(12:05) Why women and girls face greater risks

(13:25) The hidden human reviewers behind wearable AI

(14:55) Kylie Jenner and the influencer normalization of surveillance

(17:50) What parents can do right now

(20:55) What are adults modelling for children?

(23:15) Children deserve privacy, consent and digital safety

Connect with Sarah Adams:

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What happens when a child’s disability, diagnosis, medical journey, or private care needs become content online?

In this episode of Parents Uncharted, Sarah Adams is joined by author, speaker, content creator, and disability advocate Sarah Todd Hammer for an honest conversation about disability representation, social media visibility, and the ethics of parents sharing their children’s lives online.

After acquiring a spinal cord injury from acute flaccid myelitis at age eight, Sarah Todd began advocating for disability awareness as a child. Today, she uses her platform to educate others about disability, accessibility, inclusion, and what it means to share your own story on your own terms.

Together, Sarah Adams and Sarah Todd discuss the highs and challenges of being a disabled creator online, the importance of authentic representation, common misconceptions about disability, and why disabled people should be at the centre of conversations that affect their community.

They also examine one of the most difficult questions in the disability community: when does sharing a child’s disability online become exploitation rather than advocacy?

This conversation explores medical privacy, informed consent, caregiving content, online safety, the pressure parents face to seek support, and why awareness should never come at the expense of a child’s dignity.

In this episode, we discuss:

Sarah Todd’s experience acquiring a spinal cord injury at age eight

Growing up online and becoming a disability content creator

The benefits and risks of visibility on social media

Building boundaries around privacy, location-sharing, comments, and public access

Why authentic disability representation matters in media

Misconceptions about disability, independence, happiness, and caregiving

The return of ableist language online and why it matters

Whether disabled people are expected to constantly educate others

The difference between sharing your own disability story and sharing someone else’s

Parents sharing children’s diagnoses, care routines, hospital visits, and medical histories

Why “raising awareness” can become a justification for violating a child’s privacy

How parents can seek community, funding, and support without making their child content

Why disabled adults’ perspectives should lead conversations about disabled children

Social media age limits, online community, and safety for marginalized young people

This conversation is an invitation for parents, caregivers, and anyone who cares about children’s privacy to pause and consider who benefits when a child’s most personal experiences are shared online. Sarah Todd offers an essential reminder that disability advocacy must be led by disabled voices and that dignity, autonomy, and consent should always come before views, validation, or visibility.

Chapters

(00:00) Introduction 

(02:12) Sarah Todd’s story: acute flaccid myelitis and disability advocacy

(04:41) Growing up online and finding a public platform

(08:51) The highs and risks of being a disabled content creator

(11:02) Online boundaries: safety, privacy, and the block button

(14:41) Negative comments, Reddit, and being recognized in public

(18:02) Why disability visibility and representation matter

(22:32) The harmful myths society still believes about disability

(28:41) When parents make a child’s disability into online content

(30:23) Caregiving, intimate moments, and informed consent

(37:39) Seeking support without violating a child’s privacy

(41:40) Why sharing your own disability story is different

(44:01) “What if my child can never consent?”

(46:32) Medical privacy, hospital content, and clickbait culture

(48:49) What disabled adults say about being posted as children

(51:13) Social-media age limits, safety, and marginalized communities

(54:20) Where advocacy ends and exploitation begins

About Sarah Todd Hammer

Sarah Todd Hammer is a published author, speaker, content creator, and disability advocate. At age eight, she acquired a spinal cord injury due to acute flaccid myelitis, a neurological condition that can cause sudden weakness and paralysis.

Since childhood, Sarah Todd has used storytelling and advocacy to raise awareness about disability, accessibility, inclusion, and representation. She began by co-authoring books with a close friend who has a similar disability and later expanded her work through writing, speaking engagements, and social media.

Today, she creates thoughtful, accessible content about disability, daily life, advocacy, and the importance of respecting disabled people’s autonomy, privacy, and lived experience.

Connect with Sarah Todd 

Website:https://www.sarahtoddhammer.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahtoddhammer

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SarahToddHammer 

Connect with Sarah Adams:

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