In this episode of WTFAI, Beck and Dan Be sit down with the dynamic duo behind the Center for Digital Thriving: Carrie James and Emily Weinstein, long-time collaborators, close friends, and co-authors of Behind Their Screens. Since 2011, before most teens had smartphones, they’ve been slowing down to listen to what young people are actually grappling with online. In this episode they share the WTF moments that have stopped them in their tracks during their research, from a 13-year-old carrying the weight of a friend’s safety in a text thread to the anxious spiral of being left on read. Then it gets personal: Carrie explains why Claude is her just-in-time parenting coach, and Emily shares the 3AM anxiety spiral she talked through with ChatGPT, then had a clinical psychologist review line by line. Dr. Emily Weinstein (she/her) is a psychologist, researcher, author, and lecturer who has spent over a decade at Harvard working on questions like: How do youth experience adolescence in an age of social media? What can adults do to help? She is a Principal Investigator at Project Zero and lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Education. As a mom of two young children, she feels a sense of personal urgency around finding ways to support kids in a tech-filled world. Dr. Carrie James (she/her) is a sociologist, researcher, and the current Co-Director of Project Zero. Emphasizing qualitative methods, her work focuses on young people’s digital experiences, including opportunities and challenges for their well-being, social connections, and civic lives. She loves to translate research insights into practical tools and wisdom for families and educators, and has been a longtime collaborator with Common Sense Education on their digital citizenship curriculum. References & Links Sherry Turkle, The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit, Twentieth Anniversary Edition (MIT Press, 2005; originally published 1984) MacArthur Foundation, “Research Network on Youth and Participatory Politics,” 2011–2016. Blaise Agüera y Arcas, “Humanity has the debate about AI consciousness backwards,” The Economist (By Invitation), August 20, 2026. Emily Weinstein and Carrie James, Behind Their Screens: What Teens Are Facing (and Adults Are Missing) (MIT Press, 2022). Center for Digital Thriving, “Course for Educators: 8 Mindshifts for Teaching Digital Wellbeing,” Harvard Graduate School of Education. Mustafa Suleyman, “A Warning About Model Welfare,” mustafa-suleyman.ai. Tench, B., Weinstein, E., & James, C., with Starks, A., & Konrath, S. (2026). An AI Policy Isn’t a Playbook: Educators Need Agency, Not Just New Rules. Cambridge, MA, USA: Center for Digital Thriving.
