Tech Shock - from Parent Zone

VoiceBox is an organisation that specialises in youth content and consultation – showcasing the talent of young creators globally. They also ensure that the youth perspective is heard through their independent research and work with tech firms, government bodies and other decision-makers.After attending the WeProtect global summit in Abu Dhabi this December, VoiceBox director Natalie Foos joins Vicki for the final episode of season nine. Together they unpack the recent WeProtect event, discuss some of VoiceBox’s exciting past (and future) work, and offer up some notable moments from this season of Tech Shock.Talking points:What themes and concerns emerged around online child sexual exploitation and abuse at the WeProtect summit?Does online youth participation have to bring with it the current difficulties of social media, or is an alternative model available?What developments and issues are actually on young people’s radars – both within the world of tech, and beyond it? Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.wwwTwitterFacebookInstagram

Digital resilience involves understanding possible risks online, knowing where to get help and having the support to recover when things go wrong, and learning from experiences.But some emerging harms can begin to shift online safety discussions away from digital resilience and more towards bans, regulation and abstinence – particularly when harms are considered to severely affect wellbeing and mental health. In this episode, Vicki is joined by professor of Human Behaviour and Technology at the University of Oxford, Andy Przybylski. They discuss the relevance of digital resilience today as well as what research actually says about the impact of internet use on individuals. Talking points:Is describing some levels of tech use as an ‘addiction’ problematic, and are there better ways to begin thinking about it?What is the ‘Goldilocks theory’ of screen time and wellbeing? In the midst of a shift towards restrictions and regulation, does existing evidence actually support bans?Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.wwwTwitterFacebookInstagram

AI chatbots are becoming increasingly sophisticated in how they interact with users. The insights afforded by AI tools can also be used to streamline workflows and improve efficiency across a range of organisations and their services.With the NHS reporting that one in five children and young people in England had a ‘probable mental disorder’ in 2023, have we reached a point where AI innovations could – or should – be used to help cope with a seemingly ever-growing demand for support?The Mix is one example of a youth advice and support service who have previously integrated AI into their work. In this episode, Vicki is joined by The Mix CEO Chris Martin to unpack the benefits (and possible pitfalls) of AI innovations in the charity sector. Talking points:Is AI suited to tackle the demand for mental health support or is ‘efficiency’ another word for ‘cheap’? How might support bots that are personalised – and potentially indistinguishable from real people – be problematic? What more is needed to unlock AI's potential in support services as well as beyond them? Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.wwwTwitterFacebookInstagram

As the online world continues to develop, possible risks and harms do too. Business models can encourage the promotion of harmful content via algorithms, and children’s data is too often viewed as a commodity. Often, legislation is left scrambling to keep up with tech – and even when it’s successfully passed, evidence ‘supporting’ it can be conflicting (or simply lacking). In-between all this, the rights of children can be sidelined or infringed upon. But are we yet in a good place for tackling some of these challenges? And if not, where next? Helping Vicki answer this question is Sonia Livingstone, professor at the London School of Economics and Director of the Digital Futures for Children Centre.Talking points:How can regulation stay relevant in a world of generative AI and ‘innovation at speed’? Between parental controls and age verification, are we forgetting to ask key questions about child rights?Should we be following Australia in raising the digital age of consent, or does research say otherwise? Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.wwwTwitterFacebookInstagram

The use of technology to assist with parenting is something that’s becoming a social norm. It's easy to understand why: parents want to know what their children are doing online, where they are when they're out of sight and what digital content they're being exposed to. Knowing your child is safe is the most fundamental of all parenting priorities. But digital parenting, particularly when it involves monitoring technology, raises questions around children’s rights to privacy. This use of technology may also (somewhat counterintuitively) impact family dynamics and wellbeing in negative ways. Far from supporting conversations it might be making them less constructive. This week Vicki is joined by Ekaterina Hertog and Jun Zhao from the University of Oxford and Netta Weinstein from the University of Reading – co-authors on a recent research paper exploring ‘data-driven parenting’ – to discuss this in more detail,  to consider some of the issues surrounding it, and explore the concept of a ‘good digital society’.Talking points:Is digital parenting technology altering – or even replacing – things like communication and open discussion?Does monitoring technology prevent children from learning to self-regulate behaviours and make good decisions? Even with safety as its aim, does digital parenting infringe on a child’s right to privacy or are parents getting the balance right? Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.wwwTwitterFacebookInstagram

Surveillance capitalism – the gathering, analysis and use of personal information to influence people and sell things – arguably requires losses in (or infringements on) privacy to work best. At the same time, anonymity online can bring its own risks: it may facilitate trolling as well as the spread of mis- and disinformation. User anonymity might also undermine age restrictions on online platforms and content. In this episode, Vicki is joined by privacy advocate and author Mark Weinstein to discuss this possible conflict between privacy and anonymity, as well as user IDs and user data in the age of AI, and behaviour modelling when it comes to tech use and critical thinking.Talking points:How have privacy infringements changed since the early days of the internet? Are user IDs really the answer to issues surrounding anonymity and privacy? Can children be taught responsible tech use within a culture of restriction and abstinence?Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.wwwTwitterFacebookInstagram

Tech Shock returns for its 9th season and we invite a range of expert guests to explore the tech landscape post-Online Safety Act – as well as emerging trends and possible harms.Our first guest this season is director of Youthworks Adrienne Katz. She joins Vicki to unpack the findings from Youthwork’s Annual Cyber Survey, which, having run since 2008, aims to capture just what it’s like for young people growing up and living in the online world. Talking points:to what extent can we really attribute a rise in mental health issues to tech use?what role does gender play in how exploratory, risk-taking or media literate young people are online? what factors influence young people’s digital resilience and recovery from harm?Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.wwwTwitterFacebookInstagram

Just two weeks ago a report from The Education Select Committee recommended that, post-election, the new government consider additional measures around screen time – and smartphone use – for children. Having previously heard from both parents and young people on the topic of a smartphone ban for under-16s, this Tech Shock special now turns its focus onto some expert viewpoints. In this episode, Vicki is joined by a member of the Parent Zone Studio, Riley Mackrory to explore contributions from both education and mobile industry professionals. Talking points:Who could be held accountable – or even criminalised – for not adhering to a smartphone ban? Is there really such a thing as a ‘dumb’ phone? What impact could bans have on households where smartphones are the only route online? Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.wwwTwitterFacebookInstagram

Part two of this Tech Shock special discusses the possibility – and possible impact – of a smartphone ban for under-16s. Having previously heard from parents, this week Vicki is joined by Anna Lindsay from youth-content platform VoiceBox to get a measure of what young people themselves think about the issue. Talking points:Can you build resilience in an ecosystem of bans and prohibitions?Are we consulting young people enough on legislation that impacts them? Could – or should – this process be more collaborative? What do young people feel they would lose if using smartphones were no longer an option?Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.wwwTwitterFacebookInstagram

A minimal digital living standard is a benchmark. It refers to both a level of digital skills and access to tech that can appropriately meet an individual’s basic needs – not just ‘nice-to-haves’. It involves things like communication and connection with others, and the ability to engage with opportunities and digital services adequately and safely. This week, Vicki is joined by Dr Emma Stone, director of evidence and engagement at the Good Things Foundation; professor of Digital Culture at the University of Liverpool, Simeon Yates; and Dr Chloe Blackwell from the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University to look at what a minimal digital living standard might look like in practice. Talking points:What goes into constructing a metric like the ‘minimal digital living standard’? Is grasping relative differences between groups the key to understanding digital inclusion and exclusion?How can – or how should – policymakers and organisations begin to use this benchmark in their work?https://mdls.org.uk/publications/Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.wwwTwitterFacebookInstagram

Just months after the DfE announced guidance on mobile phone use in schools,  the possibility of a smartphone ban for under-16s is being actively discussed.Support for bans like these can, at least initially, be very strong – but also nuanced. In a slight change of format for Tech Shock, Vicki is joined by a member of the Parent Zone Studio, Riley Mackrory to share and discuss the parent perspective; based on contributions we’ve had directly from parents themselves. Talking points:is support for smartphone bans more ‘knee-jerk’ than much needed? are smartphones detrimental to socialising or do they facilitate another form of it?  how might such a ban impact user safety, education and the practicality of everyday life? Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.wwwTwitterFacebookInstagram

Natalie Foos, director of the youth content platform VoiceBox joins Vicki to provide some young people’s perspectives on the hot (or tricky) topics from Tech Shock's season 8. Talking points:In a year where half the world could be at the polls, how equipped are young people to avoid disinformation? As social platforms and online games are increasingly built to engage and retain, how autonomous can young users feel online? With tech developments moving so fast, do young people feel like regulation is an impossibility?Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.wwwTwitterFacebookInstagram

This week Vicki talks to Emma Higham, product management lead on Google's Search Child's Safety Portfolio about some of the exciting new tools they've been working on.Talking pointsEvery family is different so how do tech companies create safety tools that work for everyone?What is LEO and why is it important?How does search think about people looking for information at vulnerable moments?Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.wwwTwitterFacebookInstagram

From incels to Andrew Tate, young people are increasingly exposed to debates around gender when online. This week, Vicki is joined by Rosie Campbell, professor of politics and director of the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at King's College London to discuss the topic of gender in the digital age. Talking points:What do we really mean when we talk of the ‘gender divide’?How is social media making the topic of gender more polarised, and more profitable (for some)? What’s the relationship between views on gender and who we vote for at the polls?Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.wwwTwitterFacebookInstagram

This week Vicki is joined by Pete Etchells, professor of Psychology and Science Communication at Bath Spa University to discuss the topic of screen time and some of the debate that surrounds it.Talking points:What is ‘screen time’, and how hard is it to accurately measure? Why do we tend to look at tech through a harmful lens, and does this stand in the way of digitally flourishing?Do some policies just help us avoid thinking about children’s tech use?Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.wwwTwitterFacebookInstagram

Our 2023 research found that young people aged 13-18 spend over £50m online each week. But this financial autonomy could mean increased exposure to harms like scams, gambling, influencer marketing, and criminal exploitation. This week Vicki is joined by Maya Daver-Massion and Zixuan Fu, part of the security and online safety team at PUBLIC to shed more light on ‘child financial harms’. Talking points: What exactly makes child financial harms such a ‘wicked problem’ to solve?Other sorts of harm are always on the radar. So why are finance-related harms so often overlooked?Is systemic change needed to tackle child financial harms, and, if so, where do we start?Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.wwwTwitterFacebookInstagram

Vicki talks to Dr. Katie Davis , Associate Professor at the University of Washington about what happens when technology intersects with child development and why good enough parenting really is good enough. How are online platforms designed and what sort of design leads to certain behaviours?When does technology support child development and when does it get in the way?What does AI mean for human agency?Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.wwwTwitterFacebookInstagram

In 2024, the year of many elections, governments across the world are bracing themselves for an onslaught of disinformation. Vicki and Geraldine talk to Professor Julian McDougall of Bournemouth University about whether media literacy is finally poised to break free of its Cinderella status.Talking points:Why do politicians both sneer at media literacy and grab onto it as the answer to online harms?How do you measure the impact of media literacy when success is so often about what doesn’t happen?Much of social media is more emotional than rational. How does any kind of formal education counter that?Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.wwwTwitterFacebookInstagram

Vicki and Geraldine talk to sharenting expert Claire Bessant about the pros and cons of posting about your children online.Talking points:Are parental influencers who post about their children doing anything different from families down the centuries whose children have worked on the family farm?Is there any point in talking about consent when children are being required to consent to their parents?Even if you’re careful not to post anything about your children in public spaces online, could schools be spreading information about them?Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.wwwTwitterFacebookInstagram

Vicki and Geraldine discuss Parent Zone’s latest research into financial harms to children online. Is this a category of harms that we’ve simply overlooked? And if so, why?We tend to think children aren’t doing much financially online, but how true is thisWhen children get scammed online, why are they often reluctant to tell anyone?Young people told us that many of them were acting illegally online. Is the internet normalising lawlessness?Tech Shock is a Parent Zone production. Follow Parent Zone on social media for all the latest on our work on helping families to thrive in the digital age. Presented by Vicki Shotbolt. Tech Shock is produced and edited by Tim Malster.wwwTwitterFacebookInstagram