Is Big Tech the New Big Tobacco?

About this episode

The episode discusses the addictive nature of social media and its harmful effects on children, featuring insights from Free Press reporters.

If you’re a human with a phone in 2026, you know how addicting social media can be. Most of us struggle to keep from scrolling too much. I mean…all those doggy reels are just hilarious! Now imagine how hard it is for vulnerable young brains to keep from getting hooked? New lawsuits against the social media giants are confirming what so many of us parents have been saying for years. Big Tech companies have known how dangerous their “just keep scrolling” algorithms are for kids, but they’ve chosen lining their pockets over keeping our kids safe. Of course “their kids” are protected. Did you know that many Silicon Valley giants don’t give their own kids phones until 16? On the podcast this week, I’m talking to Free Press reporters, Maya Sulkin and Frannie Block, authors of the article Is Social Media The New Big Tobacco , about the harmful effects of social media and how brave families are stepping up to hold Big Tech accountable for targeting our kids. Something clicked while listening? We’d love to talk with you if you want to dig deeper into your family’s specific situation. If you’re ready to stop guessing and start knowing what works, it might be worth a conversation…

People in this episode

Host: Randi Rubenstein

Guests: Maya Sulkin, Frannie Block

Topics covered

• social media
• Big Tech
• parenting
• addiction
• youth safety

Keywords

• social media addiction
• Big Tech accountability
• parenting
• youth safety
• algorithms

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Free Press

Books & works: Is Social Media The New Big Tobacco

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