Tech Shock - from Parent Zone

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Tech Shock: everything you ever wanted to know about tech and family life. Podcasting from Parent Zone, the media literacy experts, host Vicki Shotbolt explores the upsides and downsides of family life in the digital age. With a range of expert guests, she looks at online harms to children, from pornography to gambling, and at what should be done about them. Incurably optimistic, Vicki also celebrates the many benefits of tech for children and young people, as she considers how best to live in a world in which family life is now inescapably digital. Listen every Monday, subscribe, and please give us a five star review.

  1. 13 MAY

    Spring Special Episode 4: Melinda Tankard Reist: ‘A Callous Society?’

    In the final episode of Tech Shock's Spring Special Series on the social media ban and government consultation, Vicki is joined by Melinda Tankard Reist. Melinda is the Movement Director of Collective Shout, a grassroots campaigning movement against the objectification of women and the sexualisation of girls. Collective Shout has been heavily involved in both the age verification trial for pornography and the raised age of access to social media in Australia. Melinda brings a distinctive voice to the series. Her contribution goes beyond the ban debate, drawing connections between social media, pornography, and violence against women and girls that are rarely made explicit in policy discussions. This episode covers some serious and challenging content, reflecting the gravity of the work Collective Shout does every day. Talking points: What has Australia's experience of raising the age of access to social media taught us and what are the limitations of the platforms currently covered?What is the evidence for the links between social media, pornography, and violence against women and girls — and what does Collective Shout's grassroots work reveal about the scale of harm?What needs to change at a systemic level — in the legal system, in schools, and in culture — and is there reason to be hopeful?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. www Twitter Facebook Instagram

    46 min

  2. 28 APR

    1: Natalie Foos: VoiceBox and AI chatbot support for parents

    In the first episode of Tech Shock's 12th season, Vicki is joined by Natalie Foos, Director of VoiceBox — a global youth organisation that surfaces the lived experience of young people for decision makers. VoiceBox has long acted as an early warning system on emerging digital risks, and their Coded Companions report, published three years ago, was one of the first to examine the risks of young people forming relationships with AI chatbots. In this episode, Natalie shares findings from VoiceBox's latest collaboration with Parent Zone. They tested five leading AI chatbots to see how useful they are at helping parents understand the financial risks in the games their children play. The headline result: how you prompt matters more than the bot you interact with. Talking points: What did the New Digital Advisors report find about AI chatbots as a tool for parents navigating financial risks in gaming and what are the chatbot personality differences parents should know about?Three years on from Coded Companions, how can we better support young people who find themselves in difficulty and what does the VoiceBox community think is the direction of travel for AI?How are gambling-like behaviours being normalised among young people, both within gaming and beyond?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. www Twitter Facebook Instagram

    44 min

  3. 14 APR

    Spring Special Episode 3: Haroon Chowdry: ‘Levelling the Playing Field’

    This week in our special episodes examining the arguments for and against the social media ban, Vicki speaks to Haroon Chowdry, Chief Executive of the Centre for Young Lives. The Centre for Young Lives was set up by Baroness Anne Longfield, former Children’s Commissioner for England, and uses research, evidence, advocacy, public affairs and system change to improve outcomes for children and families.  Being in favour of the preventative measures proposed by the government consultation, Haroon discusses why he thinks restrictions are necessary as well as why and how to put the onus on tech companies.   Talking points: Why should we take a Public Health approach to social media’s impact on children?Is it just semantics to try and change the language we use in this debate - from ban to minimum age restriction?Are we proposing a blanket ban, or a partial ban? And what’s the difference?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. www Twitter Facebook Instagram

    42 min

  4. 25 MAR

    Spring Special Episode 2: Andy Burrows: ‘Towards a Safer Future’

    As we continue our special series of Tech Shock exploring arguments for and against the social media ban and the government consultation, this week we are joined by Andy Burrows, CEO of the Molly Rose Foundation.  The Foundation works at the intersection of online safety, mental health and suicide prevention, and holds a firm belief that technology can be a positive force for children. However, how can a safer online world be achieved? Are we learning from our mistakes with social media when it comes to AI regulation? Should we be optimistic about the future? Previously head of Child Safety Online Policy at the NSPCC, Andy brings years of experience engaging in child safety and online safety debates to the discussion. Talking points:  What are the problems of a social media ban for under-16s, its unintended consequences and would it provide a false sense of safety for parents?Why has the OSA disappointed, what role did Ofcom play and what should be done about small platforms? What impact will AI have on our world and the ability to keep children safe 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. www Twitter Facebook Instagram

    42 min

  5. 11 MAR

    Spring Special Episode 1: Maeve Walsh: ‘Has the Online Safety Act Failed?’

    The beginning of March saw the government launch its consultation on whether to ban social media for under-16s, as well as calling on the public to share opinions and concerns on more nuanced interventions.  But how did we get here? With the Online Safety Act (OSA) being in force for two and a half years, why do parents and policymakers call for a blanket ban that risks being yet another false promise that could make young people less safe? Has the OSA failed or can it be part of the UK’s progress to a safer online world? In the first of a special group of Tech Shock episodes surrounding the Ban and Consultation, Vicki is joined by Maeve Walsh - Director of the OSA Network.  Talking points: Can we see that progress has been made through the OSA and what wins should we be shouting about?What are the big gaps in the Act and what other areas could and should it concern?Are we able to strengthen the OSA promptly and appropriately? What is the OSA Network's 10-point plan for strengthening the Act immediately?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. www Twitter Facebook Instagram

    36 min

  6. 17/12/2025

    7. How to find friends and alienate people: geolocation, gender, and unhelpful legislation

    December saw the launch of an international coalition to end violence against women and girls with additional support to tackle online harms. At the same time, debates around the banning of ‘nudification’ apps continue within the UK.  Developments like these represent a shared desire to affect change – and for the online world to be a safer place. But amid the Australian ban on social media for under-16s (now in effect) and Scottish Labour pushing for a complete phone ban in schools, we may need to pause and ask: are we going about reducing harm in the right way?   In the final episode of season 11, Vicki is joined by UCL professor of Sociology of Gender and Education, Jessica Ringrose to explore young people’s lived experiences and some possibly better ways to bring about change.   Talking points: From ‘sex subscriptions’ and ‘AI girlfriends’ to cyberflashing, how does harmful sexual content impact different groups of young people? Why are policies around restricting (or outright banning) tech not properly “thought through”?  Two years on since the Online Safety Act passed, are platforms still operating without a genuine duty of care – and what can we do in the meantime?  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. www Twitter Facebook Instagram

    35 min

  7. 10/12/2025

    6. Being ‘literate’ in the age of AI

    Amidst a paradigm shift in technology, it looks to be the case that a failure to understand (and use) AI is a failure to prepare for a rapidly approaching future.  But plenty of questions remain. How best to support literacies related to AI? Where exactly should AI sit within a revised curriculum? And might the provision of AI tools to children (without appropriate support) simply foster a ‘copy and paste’ mindset – one which is antagonistic to learning? In this episode, Vicki is joined by Irene Picton – senior project and research manager at the National Literacy Trust to explore recent research into children’s literacy and the debate around AI.  Talking points: What does literacy look like – and require – in the age of AI?How might children’s use of AI entrench existing inequity, and what more could schools do to support literate use of these tools?Are we guilty of a ‘screens = bad’ binary, or are concerns like the role of AI in EdTech warranted? 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. www Twitter Facebook Instagram

    46 min

  8. 03/12/2025

    5. Deepfakes, disinformation, and a trundle towards ‘reality apathy’?

    AI technologies are becoming more and more embedded in daily life – in ways that go well beyond smart speakers or nifty thermometers.  But this embedding raises lots of questions. Some people have little faith in Big Tech (or the countries trying to regulate it) to get it right. Providing it really isn’t  just a matter of the optics, the now safety-less renaming of the US ‘AI Safety Institute’ to the ‘Centre for AI Standards and Innovation’ is a case in point. The planned EU legislative rollback points to a contentious roadmap.  So amid deepfakes, relationship chatbots and a reality we might describe as ‘synthetic’, what remains for trust and authenticity? How can we start thinking about harms – and mitigating them – as well as harnessing the potential of AI? In this episode, globally recognised AI expert Henry Ajder joins Vicki to explore these topics further.  Talking points: Just how worried should we be about AI when it comes to the ballot box? What does a ‘digital nutrition label’ look like, and how might this be one way to help identify what’s genuine? When it comes to recognising AI generated content, can increased levels of media literacy actually result in harmful overconfidence?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. www Twitter Facebook Instagram

    48 min
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About

Tech Shock: everything you ever wanted to know about tech and family life. Podcasting from Parent Zone, the media literacy experts, host Vicki Shotbolt explores the upsides and downsides of family life in the digital age. With a range of expert guests, she looks at online harms to children, from pornography to gambling, and at what should be done about them. Incurably optimistic, Vicki also celebrates the many benefits of tech for children and young people, as she considers how best to live in a world in which family life is now inescapably digital. Listen every Monday, subscribe, and please give us a five star review.

Information

  • Creator
    Parent Zone
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    136
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Tech Shock - from Parent Zone
  • Show Website
    Tech Shock - from Parent Zone