TPP 313: Dr. Devorah Heitner on Online Safety and Internet “Rabbit Holes” and Differently Wired Kids
episode
Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children
40 min
2 speakers
7 chapters
transcribed 6 hours ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Why are differently‑wired kids especially vulnerable to online rabbit holes?
A kid who's been through a rough couple of years, a kid who has been bullied or left out at school, a kid who's had to maybe move schools because of social situations, a kid who has had people say unkind things about their difference or about their appearance or about other aspects of their identity. That's a kid who may be more vulnerable. to a group or a a set of a way of thinking that's like, you're included and let us tell you all the reasons that other people are wrong for not understanding you and let us give you a role here.
Welcome to Tilled Parenting, a podcast featuring interviews and conversations aimed at inspiring, informing, and supporting parents raising differently wired kids. I'm your host, Debbie Rieber. So today is an important conversation about online communities and internet rabbit holes. And I felt pulled to tackle this topic for the show because I know that the past few years in particular has been a time where differently wired kids have been A, spending a lot more time online and connecting with people they may not have even met in real life, and B engaged in their identity development largely. Online as a result of COVID. And I also know that this can put our kids and us as their parents and caregivers in challenging positions as we navigate a seemingly endless stream of discourse that may lead our kids down the wrong path.
So I asked my friend and screen and tech expert, Dr. Devorah Heitner, to join me for a frank and open conversation about all of it. We talked about the ways differently wired kids might be exposed to harmful content online and why our kids may be more susceptible to toxic or unhealthy virtual rabbit holes in the first place. We also talked about the popular places where teens and kids are hanging out the most right now online, the way our kids worldview and their brain development is impacted by the content they're engaging with, and what we parents might not know that we should know about this topic. This is the second time Devorah has been on the show, but in case you're new to her work, Devorah Heitner is the author of Screenwise, Helping Kids Thrive and Survive in Their Digital World, and the upcoming book on navigating privacy and reputation with kids and teens called Growing Up in Public.
She has a PhD in media technology and society from Northwestern University, and she writes regularly for the New York Times, The Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and CNN Opinion. And I just want to say up front, this can be a tough topic to explore, but I encourage you to listen and be open. I think it's so important that we understand what our kids may be doing online and feel informed and confident in order to talk to them about it in a way that supports their growth and development, their relationship with technology, and our connection with them together. Okay, and now without further ado, here is my conversation with Deborah. Hello Deborah, welcome to the podcast. Hi Debbie, it's so great to be here.
Yeah, I was thinking we haven't been on a podcast together. In years, although we just did our really cool big tech reset over the summer. But this is a different conversation and I'm really curious and interested to get into it with you. But can you take a few minutes before we get started and just do your spiel for us? Tell us a little bit about who you are in the world and what you do.
Of course, sure. So I am Deborah Heitner and I wrote Screenwise, Helping Kids Thrive and Survive in their digital world. And I just finished writing and will be out next year growing up in public. And that's about kids making their way in this world as surveilled as they are and as public as they are on social media and kind of navigating the searchability and reputation challenges and privacy challenges of being a young person today. I work with schools all over the country and the world and I help parents especially understand their digital kids.
Wow, you have that down. That is a very succinct and clear description of what you do.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
Why are differently‑wired kids especially vulnerable to online rabbit holes?
0:00–8:43
2
What research shows about neurodivergent youth and risky internet behavior?
8:43–14:37
3
Which platforms (TikTok, YouTube, Discord, Reddit) do teens use most today?
14:37–21:14
4
Can parents set effective controls on Reddit, Discord, and other community sites?
21:14–27:31
5
How does exposure to toxic or extremist content affect brain development and worldview?
27:31–34:51
6
What warning signs should parents look for when a child is drawn into extremist or harmful groups?
34:51–38:51
7
What practical steps can families take to support kids struggling with mental‑health‑focused online spaces?
38:51–40:09
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Full-Tilt Parenting: Strategies, Insights, and Connection for Parents Raising Neurodivergent Children
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TPP 522: A Whole Child Approach to ADHD with Phil Boucher, M.D.
TPP 091a: A Conversation With Steve Silberman About His Book “Neurotribes”
TPP 521: A Conversation with Dr. Peter Gray About Restoring Childhood
TPP 253a: Advocate and Author Jonathan Mooney on Why Normal Sucks
TPP 520: Dr. Özgür Bolat on Why Rewards Backfire and the Real Science of Motivating Kids