We gave children the most powerful tools in human history. Then, we left them to their own devices.
When she was 12 years old, Ava Smithing spiraled down a social media rabbit hole that nearly cost her life. A decade later, she discovered she wasn't alone: Big Tech had rewritten childhood and adolescence for her entire generation. Armed with questions and a year to find answers, Ava embarked on a cross-continent investigation into a hidden digital world. She met teens in 12-step programs for social media addiction, young girls wrestling with compulsive porn use, and boys who had been blackmailed by international cybercriminals.
This isn't a self-help guide to digital wellness. It's a survival story from the front lines of 21st century childhood: where young people are re-writing the playbook for what it means to be human in a hyperconnected world.
In conversation with Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation
Host Ava Smithing interviews social psychologist Jonathan Haidt about his "Great Rewiring" theory and the impact of digital-first communities on Gen Z.
2 Feb 2026TRANSCRIPT
Bonus panel discussion: A conversation on building healthy digital habits for youth
Host Ava Smithing and psychologist Dr. Michele Locke discuss building healthy digital habits for youth, exploring device impact on development and offering family-friendly screen time strategies.
21 Nov 2025TRANSCRIPT
Left to Our Own Devices
Host [Host Name] interviews youth activist Maddie Freeman about her movement to help peers disconnect from social media as Australia prepares to ban it for children.
14 Nov 2025TRANSCRIPT
The Worst Sex Ed Class Ever
Host Ava explores how young people like Harrison and Nat navigate compulsive porn use, revealing the alarming impact of early exposure to online pornography on a generation.
7 Nov 2025TRANSCRIPT
Under the Influence
Host Ava Kofler interviews influencer Sophie Fergi and journalist Taylor Lorenz about the allure and impact of online fame for young people today.
31 Oct 2025TRANSCRIPT
See You in Court
New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez, Duncan Embury, and Laura Marquez Garrett discuss landmark lawsuits holding Big Tech accountable for youth harm.
24 Oct 2025TRANSCRIPT
Yahoo Boys
Cyber analyst Paul Raffile discusses the devastating rise of Yahoo Boys' sextortion scams targeting teenagers and his mission to expose their methods.
17 Oct 2025TRANSCRIPT
Blackmailed
Carol Todd and Sarah discuss online exploitation and blackmail, sharing their experiences to advocate for greater internet safety for young women.
10 Oct 2025TRANSCRIPT
Brain Rot
Host Ava interviews Dr. Emma Duerden, Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience and Learning Disorders, about technology's complex impact on teen brains and mental health.
3 Oct 2025
Big Tech's Origin Story
Host Ava interviews tech insiders Roger McNamee, Frances Haugen, and author Nir Eyal about Big Tech's origin story and its impact on children.
26 Sept 2025
Internet Addicts Anonymous
When she was 12 years old, Ava Smithing spiralled down a social media rabbit hole that nearly cost her life. A decade later, she discovered she wasn’t alone: Big Tech had hijacked childhood and adolescence for an entire generation.
In this ten-part investigative podcast, Ava crosses the continent to uncover a hidden digital world. She’ll meet teens with millions of followers, young girls wrestling with compulsive porn use, and boys blackmailed by international cybercriminals lurking in their DMs.
In the first episode of Left to Their Own Devices, Ava dives into the debate over technology addiction. The condition is absent from the official list of mental health disorders used by psychiatrists, but undeniable to those who live it. Inside an Internet and Technology Addicts Anonymous meeting, she hears firsthand from people who say their lives have been consumed by screens. And, she sits down with psychiatrist Dr. Anna Lembke – author of Dopamine Nation – who's watched her patient' struggles shift from substance abuse to compulsive relationships with social media, gaming, and online content.
This podcast isn’t a self-help guide to digital wellness. It’s a survival story from the front lines of 21st century childhood.
26 Sept 2025
A Tale of Two Algorithms
Algorithms are the invisible engines that drive every scroll, swipe or click. And, in the last few years, it’s become clear that they can devastate young lives. But Ava discovers they might also be capable of saving them.
She speaks with two teens with radically different stories. When 12-year-old CeCe Neltner went online to find workout tips, her social media feeds devolved into a torrent of eating disorder content. Today, she says she's lucky to be alive. Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, Keira MacDuff was battling a mysterious chronic illness that doctors dismissed as teenage drama – until TikTok's algorithm led her to a life-changing diagnosis.
Did TikTok save Keira's life?
19 Sept 2025
Introducing Left to Their Own Devices
We handed kids the most powerful technology in history. Then we walked away. This is what happened next.
When she was 12 years old, Ava Smithing spiraled down a social media rabbit hole that nearly cost her life. A decade later, she discovered she wasn’t alone: Big Tech had rewritten childhood and adolescence for her entire generation. Armed with questions and a year to find answers, Ava embarked on a cross-continent investigation into a hidden digital world. She met teens in 12-step programs for social media addiction, young girls wrestling with compulsive porn use, and boys who had been blackmailed by international cybercriminals.
This isn’t a self-help guide to digital wellness. It’s a survival story from the front lines of 21st century childhood: where young people are re-writing the playbook for what it means to be human in a hyperconnected world.
Subscribers to the Toronto Star will be able to access episodes early.
Inside a recent episode
In conversation with Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation
Published 7 Apr 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] So you got to start there. And when especially when they go from like five to seven hours, which some of them are on, down to one or two or zero, it's the most it's the most amazing thing because what they what it's this whole cascade, they discover that now they have so much time to do their homework and they can focus and so they can do their homework in two hours a night. And now they're not at all stressed and they have no time pressure. Whereas before, it was always I have too much work and I can't because I'm on social media and I'm in terror. So they get their attention back. And that's why I'm so glad that you're focused on attention. […]
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