We’re updating our name—and our focus. We’re moving from the first season of our podcast, where we asked, “Are We Doing Tech Right?” to a new title: Doing Tech Right. While we’ll still meet and challenge people who work in technology, we’re also leaning into our own expertise - and that of our community. Expect more tips and conversations about making sure technology works for us, not against us. This episode marks a fresh chapter, with a deeper focus on actionable advice and tips that make parenting and educating with technology easier We invite parents and educators to join us. By sharing experiences, challenges, and triumphs, we can collectively make informed decisions that benefit our children. And if you know someone who would be a great guest, send an email to our producer at vu@connectsafely.org.
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47 recent
August 13, 202639 min
Teaching AI Literacy in K–12: Beyond the Hype and Hysteria
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.
July 28, 202631 min
How Online Algorithms & Profit Motives Fuel Youth Radicalization | Dr. Cynthia Miller-Idriss
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
June 24, 202620 min
AI’s Environmental Costs, Copyright Battles, and Privacy Risks (Part 2 with Dr. Karen Boyd)
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
June 10, 202627 min
AI Ethics in Education with Dr. Karen Boyd
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
May 22, 202623 min
Power of Zero: Online safety skills from day one
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
May 6, 202629 min
Evolving Games - From Youth to Young Adult Safety in Gaming With Matt Soeth
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
April 24, 202630 min
AI, Deepfakes, and Raising Resilient Kids
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
April 15, 202634 min
Safety from Youth to Young Adulthood with Trisha Prabhu
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.
April 10, 202647 min
Evolving Online Safety from Childhood to Adulthood with Amanda Lenhart
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
March 13, 202628 min
Safety, Policy, and the LGBTQ+ Community with Shae Gardner
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
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