Lauren Hall and Lura Forcum talk together and with guests about what political science, psychology, and parenting has taught them about making politics better for everyone.
wemadethispolitical.substack.com (https://wemadethispolitical.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)
Ep. 70: Julian Morris Asks “Do Social Media Bans Even Work?”
Lauren Hall and Lura Forcum talk with Julian Morris (https://laweconcenter.org/author/julianmorriss/) about research he coauthored with Ben Sperry, and Lura (https://laweconcenter.org/resources/the-forbidden-feed-adolescent-well-being-and-the-limits-of-social-media-regulation/) on social media’s effects on kids amid policy proposals in France, the UK, Australia, and US states to ban or heavily restrict youth social media. Morris argues bans spread via an “availability cascade” driven by concerns about adolescent mental health, grooming, and exploitation, but the evidence for a strong causal link is weak: many studies find statistically significant yet very small effects, with device/social media use explaining about 1% of variation in mental health. They stress harms and benefits vary by child; one-size-fits-all bans can hurt groups who benefit from online communities, such as LGBT and autistic kids. Examples from China’s gaming limits and Australia’s under-16 ban show widespread circumvention and substitution effects, plus privacy and access problems with age verification. The conversation emphasizes parental relationships, modeling, and teaching judgment, alongside broader concerns about overscheduled childhood and reduced independent play.00:00 Welcome And Setup01:36 Why Bans Catch On04:09 Mental Health Trend Link08:02 Evidence And Effect Sizes14:59 Not One Size Fits All19:31 Do Bans Work In Practice25:50 Age Verification Tradeoffs29:33 Parenting Skills Over Bans32:38 Modeling And Household Rules34:17 Early Internet vs Social Media35:54 Playful Design and Regulation37:21 Parenting Tradeoffs and Screens39:54 Phone Bans and Context42:59 Sugar Donuts and Self Control45:13 Banning Kids from Public Space46:52 Overscheduling Drives Screen Time54:07 Free Play Builds Self Governance56:18 Rethinking Childhood Not Bans57:34 Optimism About AI Tools01:00:09 Where to Find Julian01:01:37 Wrap Up and Thanks
Resources and Further Reading
* The Forbidden Feed: Adolescent Well-Being and the Limits of Social Media Regulation (https://laweconcenter.org/resources/the-forbidden-feed-adolescent-well-being-and-the-limits-of-social-media-regulation/) (white paper)
* To Get Kids Offline, Let Them Go Outside (https://dcjournal.com/to-get-kids-offline-let-them-go-outside/) (op-ed summary of the research)
* Let Grow, (https://letgrow.org/) an organization devoted to increasing (age-appropriate) independence in American childhoods
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wemadethispolitical.substack.com (https://wemadethispolitical.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
5 Oct 2026
Ep. 69: Liz Joyner on Civics That Doesn’t Feel Like HR Training
Lura Forcum and Lauren Hall welcome Liz Joyner, founder and president of The Village Square, to discuss rebuilding civic trust and healthier public dialogue across political divides. Joyner describes launching the organization in the early digital era after seeing politics become “two angry tribes” and noticing a lack of physical spaces for citizens to discuss contentious local issues beyond op-eds or brief public comment. She explains how The Village Square shifted from fact-driven, HR-training-style civic engagement to hosting lively, food-centered events that build relational “glue,” drawing on ideas like Henrich’s WEIRD “spreadsheet brain,” Haidt’s moral foundations and “hive switch,” and Dunbar’s number. The conversation emphasizes working “upstream” from conflict through groupish, in-person connection, resisting ostracism, and creating proximate, participatory civic spaces that make people feel needed and included.
00:00 Welcome Liz Joiner
01:11 Why Politics Felt Broken
02:44 Building Civic Space
03:41 Beyond HR Training
05:19 Spreadsheet Brain Trap
07:25 Relationships Before Facts
09:57 Process Versus Trust
13:07 Groupish Human Nature
18:22 Upstream From Conflict
21:20 Cross Partisan Blind Spots
25:26 Human Nature 101
27:40 Ostracism Makes It Worse
29:15 Ostracism Fuels Extremes
30:04 Staying Close in Disagreement
31:22 Trust Builds Group Wisdom
34:05 Play Restores Civic Bonds
35:41 Carom Shots and Fun
36:46 Hive Switch in Action
40:22 Beyond Spreadsheet Politics
42:34 Inviting Everyone to the Table
47:04 Local Spaces Are Mandatory
49:01 Weak Ties and Modern Life
51:48 Feeling Needed Again
54:46 Optimism and Where to Find Liz
Resources: How to Find Liz and Other Cool Things
The Village Square (https://tlh.villagesquare.us/)
New Civic Future (https://www.newcivicfuture.org/)
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wemadethispolitical.substack.com (https://wemadethispolitical.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
28 Sept 2026
Ep. 68 Gabe Fleisher on Saving Political News
Lauren Hall and Lura Forcum of “We Made This Political” interview Gabe Fleisher, founder and editor of the daily newsletter Wake Up To Politics (https://www.wakeuptopolitics.com/), which he started in 2011 and now reaches tens of thousands. Fleisher explains how his interest evolved from campaigns to a focus on governmental institutions, process, and undercovered congressional work, and why independent newsletters and Substack enable niche, less conflict-driven coverage that mainstream outlets often won’t prioritize. They discuss how conflict-centered political news obscures bipartisan legislation and broad public agreement on many issues, while party elites can diverge sharply from party voters. Fleisher describes using skepticism, careful poll methodology, and cross-checking data, and addresses reporting on false claims without “both-sidesing.” He shares cautious optimism about rising bipartisan work, populist overlap, and tools like discharge petitions, and directs listeners to wakeuptopolitics.com.00:00 Welcome and Introductions00:58 Gabe’s Origin Story02:50 Mainstream vs Independent Paths03:54 Covering Nuance on Substack07:31 What Drives His Reporting09:17 Journalism Not Advocacy11:17 Working With Data and Polls14:56 Bias and Staying Nonpartisan19:09 What Conflict Coverage Misses23:34 Hidden Consensus and Elite Gaps27:34 Moderates Misread28:18 Polling Forces Boxes29:25 Voters Aren't Unsophisticated31:46 Myth of Left Right33:04 Stop Dismissing Voters35:08 Calling Out Lies Fairly39:23 Outrage Distractions41:40 What Voters Prioritize44:40 Congress Gets Things Done48:10 Bipartisan Work Blocked51:08 Discharge Petitions Rise52:59 Optimism And Where To Find
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wemadethispolitical.substack.com (https://wemadethispolitical.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)
Who has been a guest on We Made This Political Podcast
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Ben Klutsey
William Glass
Seth Kaplan
Shannon Watson
Austen Campbell
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
6 ratings
Spotify
4.7 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 29 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
46
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
Contact We Made This Political Podcast
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
