Former Snapchat Exec Speaks Out: Why Kids Aren’t Safe Online (with Sarah Gallagher Trombley)
What happens when a Big Tech insider turns child advocate and parent educator? In this powerful conversation, Sarah Gallagher Trombley — former Snapchat executive — joins Nicki Petrossi to pull back the curtain on the hidden dangers kids face on social media. From Snapchat to TikTok, YouTube to Instagram, no platform is safe. Sarah shares the uncomfortable truth about what parental controls can’t fix, why smart devices are riskier than most parents realize, and how platforms are failing our kids. If you're a parent, this episode has the facts you can't afford to miss.Sarah Gallagher Trombley is digital parenting author, speaker and thought leader. Her mission is to help parents navigate the digital world with and for their kids by providing insight, advice and practical tips. Sarah helps parents with the “how” - how to manage parental controls, social media, choosing devices, video games & more.Sarah has reached thousands of parents through her popular newsletter, Thoughts From A Digital Mom, as well as through speaking events and social accounts. She has two award winning on-demand courses for parents: Tweens and Tech: How to Deal with Group Chat, Social Media and Devices and All About Apple: How To Set Up Parental Controls For Any Apple Device.Sarah currently holds a strategic advisor role on the Board of Wait Until 8th.Connect with Sarah on her website and Substack.
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Digital safety: What every parent should know (with Lavanya Gupta)
Lavanya Gupta, CEO and Founder of Silana Learning and a former Meta employee, is raising awareness about the hidden dangers of tech. With insight into the inner workings of Big Tech, she made the deliberate choice to keep her young daughters offline. But when the pandemic hit and remote learning became a necessity, she realized the inescapable - and often harmful - role that digital platforms can play, even in the classroom.Many parents assume that school-approved apps are safe, but Lavanya warns otherwise. Her top concern? Data privacy. “Schools are consenting on behalf of parents without considering long-term consequences,” she says. Invited by her children’s school to help shape tech policies, she found her mission: empowering parents to protect their kids online.Lavanya shares practical strategies for digital safety, rates apps based on the strength of their parental controls, and offers guidance on age-appropriate media use - all backed by research and real-world insights.Don’t miss this conversation with Nicki from Scrolling 2 Death and Lavanya Gupta - packed with tips, best practices, and must-know advice to keep your kids safe online.Hindenburg Research Report
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Big Tech Gut Check (week of June 9, 2025)
The Big Tech Gut Check is a super quick, weekly update on all things social media and Big Tech.Social Media & Big Tech highlights for this week:Snapchat Launches on Apple WatchSnapchat Partners with McDonalds to Promote Snapchat+Sign the Petition to Urge McDonalds to End Partnership with SnapchatTeenage girls’ TikTok skincare regimes offer little to no benefit, research showsNew Study by AngelQ Uncovers: Technology is stealing precious moments from familiesWSJ: Apple's Role in the Teen Sextortion Epidemic (and interview with Sarah Gardner of Heat Initiative)New Screen Time Study Links to Mental Health Struggles (and highlights gaming as especially problematic)Parent Resource: Why you can't have InstagramDownload AngelQ in the App Store.
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Screen Rebellion: Gen Z Fights Back (with Gabriela Nguyen)
We often hear the most extreme stories - eating disorders, overdoses, suicides – linked to social media. But in reality, many kids are struggling in silence, even while appearing to be okay. Gabriela Nguyen, a recent Harvard graduate and founder of Appstinence, is working to shed light on this issue. Raised in the Silicon Valley during the rise of social media, Gabriela was hooked from a young age. Her father, shaped by his experiences during the Vietnam War, warned her of the power of media to manipulate and control. His words stuck – especially when he asked, “I understand that you want to take hundreds of selfies for Snapchat, but do you want to want that? She soon realized how social media was distorting her sense of self.It took six years to fully quit, a testament to how addictive these platforms are, but now she’s given up social media and doesn’t even use a smartphone. Every part of her life has improved - and she wants others to know they can step away too.Tune in as Nicki from Scrolling 2 Death and Gabriela discuss how Appstinence, a Gen Z–led initiative, is helping people understand the subtle harms of social media and how to take steps towards a healthier digital life.
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Apple’s Role in the Teen Sextortion Epidemic (with Sarah Gardner of Heat Initiative)
Sextortion scams targeting teen boys are on the rise — and they’re happening through platforms parents trust, like Instagram, Snapchat and even Apple’s iMessage. In this eye-opening conversation, Scrolling 2 Death host Nicki Petrossi and Sarah Gardner of Heat Initiative expose the devastating impact of these scams and the chilling truth about Apple’s inaction.Why hasn’t Apple built better protections? Why are predators thriving in their ecosystem? Why is Apple ignoring the CSAM stored in iCloud? And what can parents do right now to safeguard their children? This is a must-listen for anyone who believes Big Tech should be held accountable for child safety.Wall Street Journal: 'Sextortion' Scams Involving Apple Messages Ended in Tragedy for These BoysAbout Sarah GardnerSarah Gardner is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Heat Initiative. Prior to launching Heat’s campaign to hold Apple accountable, Sarah spent 10 years at Thorn, an organization that builds technology to combat online child sexual abuse, where she was integral to its growth from a small, start-up effort to a multi-million dollar nonprofit. As Vice President of External Affairs, she helped develop a plan to eliminate child sexual abuse material from the internet which spurred a $63M investment in the organization through the TED Audacious Prize. Sarah also worked at Free the Slaves, an organization empowering local organizations to end modern forms of slavery.
Scrolling 2 Death is a podcast for parents who are worried about social media. Through interviews with parents and experts, we explore smartphone use, screen time, school-issued devices, social media use and so much more.
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