When kids are harmed online, the first question people ask is: “Where were the parents?”

In this episode of Scrolling 2 Death, we challenge that instinct—and expose why it is doing more harm than good.

Scrolling 2 Death host Nicki Petrossi is joined by Glen Pounder, Executive Vice President and Chief Safeguarding Officer at Scouting America, to unpack one of the most persistent myths in child safety: that better parenting can prevent online harm.

Drawing from his 30-year career combating crimes against children—and his recent article “The Comfort of Blame – and the Limits of Even the Best Parenting”—Glen shares what he’s seen firsthand: families who did everything right… and still had children targeted, groomed, and exploited online.

This conversation goes beyond surface-level advice and into the uncomfortable truth:

• Why parent blame is so appealing—and so dangerous
• How exploitation actually happens, even in attentive households
• The hidden cost of shame, silence, and misplaced responsibility
• And why this is not a parenting failure—it’s a systems failure

In the wake of major legal battles involving Meta and YouTube, this episode asks a harder question:

Who really benefits when we keep blaming parents instead of holding platforms accountable?

Because while families are being told to “do more,” tech companies continue to design environments that make harm easier—and harder to detect.

If we want to actually protect kids, we have to move beyond blame… and start demanding better systems.

#MyFriendToo Resource for Youth