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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 points

• Every 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.

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