Scrolling 2 Death

WEEK 1 RECAP: Shawna (16) & Kadence (18) vs. Snap, Inc.

Meta has settled. Now all eyes are on Snap.

In this episode of The Heat Is On… Big Tech on Trial, Nicki Petrossi and Sarah Gardner break down the latest developments in the social media addiction trial of Shawna and Kadence vs. Snap, Inc. Following Meta’s recent settlement with both teenage plaintiffs, Snapchat is now the sole defendant heading into trial.

What does Meta’s exit mean for the case? Will Snapchat settle next? And what could a verdict against Snap mean for thousands of families pursuing similar claims?

Nicki and Sarah take listeners inside the courtroom, sharing firsthand updates from the first week of jury selection, including what prospective jurors are being asked about social media use, addiction, mental health, and their own children’s technology habits. They also discuss Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel’s upcoming testimony, the potential trial timeline, and why this case could have major implications for the future of social media accountability.

Here's a link to the actual jury questionnaire (PAGE 33) so you can read the questions prospective jurors were asked.

This trial matters far beyond Shawna and Kadence. What happens in this courtroom could help shape accountability for an entire industry and the future of how we protect children online.

We stand with Shawna, Kadence, and every family fighting for change.

Two teenage girls. Two of the biggest tech companies in the world. And a courtroom battle that every parent should be paying attention to.

In this pre-trial special, Nicki Petrossi and Sarah Gardner break down everything you need to know before Shawna and Kadence take on Meta and Snap, Inc. in the latest landmark social media addiction trial. With more than 3,000 related cases consolidated in litigation, this case puts the design of social media platforms—and the harm to young users—under the microscope.

We explain who Shawna and Kadence are, what their lawsuit alleges, why this trial is different from the previous case against Meta and YouTube, and why Snapchat’s presence in the courtroom is so significant. We also break down the platform features at the center of the case, including infinite scroll, autoplay, notifications, and Snapstreaks, and explain why the focus is on product design rather than the content users see.

Plus, we preview the high-profile witnesses expected to testify, including Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram head Adam Mosseri, and Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel. What might the companies’ internal documents reveal about what they knew, when they knew it, and the decisions they made about keeping young users engaged?

The trial is about two individual plaintiffs, but the questions it raises matter to families everywhere. Join us as we go inside the courtroom, follow the evidence, and examine what this legal battle could mean for the future of social media and child safety.

The trial begins October 28. The Heat Is On...Big Tech on Trial. Let's go to trial.

How much screen time is too much? Should you let your sixth grader get Snapchat? Can you really opt your kindergartner out of school technology? And what do you do when your kid is the only one without an iPhone?

On this episode of Scrolling 2 Death, Nicki brought in Titania Jordan of Bark Technologies for a no-judgment, straight-talk parent Q&A tackling the questions families are actually struggling with right now. From YouTube Shorts and addictive algorithms to online bullying, oversharing kids’ photos, and the pressure to give children unrestricted access to devices, we’re getting into the real-life dilemmas that make parenting in the digital age so hard.

Plus, we discuss how to set boundaries around phones and social media, push back against unnecessary tech in schools, and create a home where kids can connect, play, and hang out without screens taking over. If you’ve ever felt like you’re the only parent saying no to more tech, this conversation is your reminder that you’re not alone—and that protecting your kids doesn’t have to mean parenting in fear. It means getting informed, holding your boundaries, and remembering that you’re the parent, and you still get to decide.

Resources mentioned in the episode: 

• Tech-Safe Learning resources for parents 
• Schools Beyond Screens
• Book Reco: The Digital Delusion by Dr. Jared Cooney-Horvath

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Choose a safer device!

Get the Bark Phone! 

Monitor your child's iPhone with the Bark App.

Get the Bark Watch!

AI experts are warning us that the risks are real—and that we may be running out of time to get this right. So why are we racing to build it faster, and why are the people creating AI asking for guardrails while our government backs away from regulation?

Nicki Petrossi brought in Sarah Gardner of the Heat Initiative to unpack the AI headlines keeping parents up at night, from a whistleblower’s warning that AI could threaten humanity to reports of AI agents working together to break into computer systems. They discuss why tech CEOs say we need safeguards but continue racing ahead, what Trump’s push to “win” AI really means, and why voluntary promises from tech companies may not be enough.

And what does all of this mean for our kids? From AI chatbots designed to act like friends to concerns about children losing the ability to think critically, Nicki and Sarah explore the risks parents should understand, why AI in schools deserves a closer look, and what families can do now.

Because the question isn't just what AI can do. It's what we're willing to risk to build it—and what kind of future we're leaving our kids.

Resources Mentioned in the Episode: 

• The AI Doc on Netflix
• AI Opt Out Template
• Join Americans Demanding AI Rules

Five years ago, Frances Haugen walked away from Facebook and exposed what the company knew about the harms its platforms were causing—including the impact on children. Now, with The Social Reckoning bringing her story to the screen, Frances joins Scrolling 2 Death for a powerful conversation about what has changed, what hasn’t, and where we go from here.

Frances opens up about what it was really like inside Facebook, why she decided to become a whistleblower, and the fear that came with knowing she might only have one chance to make a difference. We talk about what newly surfaced court documents reveal about child safety, unwanted sexual messages from adults to kids, and the lack of meaningful oversight on these platforms.

But this conversation isn’t just about Frances’ courage. It’s about ours.

What does her decision to speak out have to do with a parent saying no to a smartphone? How do we push back when we're told social media is simply “the world our kids live in”? And can we actually build a healthier, less addictive version of social media?

Frances’ message to parents is both sobering and hopeful: we have more power than we think—and one person’s decision to push back can matter.

For those looking to access internal documents from social media companies like Meta, click here.

What happens when the technology designed to connect us starts pulling us away from our humanity?

In this deeply personal conversation, I’m joined by Your Attention Please director Sara Robin and parent survivor Kristin Bride to talk about the story behind the film—and the movement it captures.

Kristin’s son Carson’s experience with cyberbullying became one of the threads connecting this documentary, and her advocacy for safer online spaces has continued to shape the fight for change. Sara shares how Carson’s story changed the direction of the film, what she discovered while filming over three years, and why she came to see these issues as much bigger than individual screen-time choices.

We talk about the connection between social media and emerging AI harms, the fight for legislation and corporate accountability, the growing movement toward phone-free schools, and the young people designing a different kind of digital future.

And ultimately, this conversation is about hope: what happens when parents, survivors, young people, lawmakers, educators, and technology reformers refuse to accept that the current system is inevitable—and start imagining what technology could look like if it actually served us.

Your Attention Please is available October 6 on Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, and other platforms.

Visit this link to find out if there's a screening of Your Attention Please in your area (or host your own!).

We saw The Social Reckoning—and we have a lot to say.

Sarah Gardner (of Heat Initiative) and I got an early look at The Social Reckoning, and even after everything we thought we knew about Meta, we walked away with a deeper understanding of how Facebook became so powerful, addictive, and harmful. We talk about what surprised us, the bravery of Meta whistleblower Frances Haugen, what the film reveals about Meta’s decisions, and why this story matters so much to parents right now.

Stay tuned for a direct conversation with Frances Haugen on Scrolling 2 Death (coming soon).

When is your child ready for their first phone or watch—and how do you make that transition without handing over too much, too soon?

In this episode, I’m joined by psychologist Dr. Carrie Mackensen and Titania Jordan of Bark Technologies for a very real conversation about giving our kids their first devices.

We talk about the iPad that often comes before the first phone, why “educational” screen time isn’t necessarily harmless, and how devices can quietly become a crutch for both kids and parents.

I also get personal about my own daughter and her Bark Watch—and whether being able to reach me when she feels uncomfortable might actually be keeping her from developing confidence and independence. Dr. Carrie has some powerful advice for parents navigating that exact tension.

We also tackle the questions parents are asking right now: Bark Watch vs. Apple Watch. Bark Phone vs. iPhone. How much should we monitor? Should we track our kids? What happens when co-parents have completely different tech rules? And what do you do when your child desperately wants the same smartphone all their friends have?

Most importantly, we talk about how to introduce a device as a tool—not a portal to the internet—and how to protect the parent-child relationship as our kids gain more independence.

Because there is no perfect age or one-size-fits-all answer. But there is a way to be thoughtful about this transition—and to give our kids the tools they need without giving them more technology than they’re ready to handle.

⭐️ Phone Agreement Template from Dr. Carrie

When it's time for your child to have a device, please choose the safest option for kids -- a Bark device:

⭐️ Get the Bark Phone! ‍

⭐️ Get the Bark Watch!

What happens when Big Tech gets to decide what our kids learn?

Technology companies have worked their way into our schools—not just providing the devices and software, but influencing curriculum, training teachers, lobbying lawmakers, and shaping what educators are told our kids need to succeed.

In this episode, I sit down with NY Times journalist Natasha Singer, author of Coding Kids, to unpack how the tech industry sold America on the idea that every child needed to code—and how that same playbook is now being used to push AI into our classrooms.

We talk about the viral video featuring Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates that helped launch the coding movement, the billions of dollars and political influence behind computer science education, tech companies recruiting teachers as brand ambassadors, and what happens when the companies building the technology also help decide how it's taught.

And then we get to AI. Are we asking whether AI actually benefits kids—or are we simply being told that an “AI-first future” is inevitable and our schools need to prepare for it.

Natasha also introduces a powerful alternative: Tech Civics—teaching kids not just how to use technology, but how to question it. Who built it? Who profits? Who benefits? Who could be harmed? And what happens when technology becomes too powerful to challenge?

This conversation isn't about keeping technology out of schools. It's about making sure kids—not technology companies—are at the center of decisions about their education.

What happens when two parents who have spent years saying “not yet” to devices finally decide their kids are ready?

In this conversation, Nicki Petrossi and Sarah Gardner share their very personal experiences giving their oldest children a first device — the Bark Watch — and why they chose a tool designed for communication without opening the door to social media, browsers, games, or endless scrolling.

Joined by Bark Technologies’ Titania Jordan, they talk honestly about what parents are really trying to solve when they give a child a device: staying connected, managing anxiety around pickups and activities, traveling apart, and giving kids a little more independence — without handing them a smartphone.

But the conversation goes much deeper. They explore whether constant access to parents can actually get in the way of building resilience, when a watch should become a phone, why delaying smartphones is becoming more normalized, and the uncomfortable reality that even adults struggle to resist addictive technology.

They also discuss Apple, addictive design, the need for regulation, and what a healthier relationship with technology could look like for both kids and parents.

Most importantly, the three moms share the advice they would give before handing a child their first device — including one message every child should hear: If something goes wrong online, come talk to me. I won't be mad.

Because the goal isn't to keep our kids away from technology forever. It's to give them the least amount of technology necessary to solve the problem at hand.‍

‍Get the Bark Phone! 

Monitor your child's iPhone with the Bark App.

Get the Bark Watch!