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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.
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Recent Episodes
S11E7 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…
S11E6 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…
S11E5 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…
S11E4 4. Experience AI
Understanding AI has never been more critical. It’s part of most conversations around emerging tech. It raises endless questions around safety, creativity, copyright and intellectual property. The UK…
S11E3 3. RSE in the era of nudification apps and AI romance
The subject ‘RSE’ (Relationships and Sex Education) was introduced to educate pupils about sexual health as well as their relationships and intimacies with others. Is it meeting the challenge or is…
S11E2 2. A new gambling levy, and the dark side of the industry
Contrary to what many of us would like to believe, gambling is not an exclusively over 18 activity – in fact it’s far from it. Popular sports and surrounding media burst at the seams with gambling…
S11E1 1. "A range of questionable trends and industry practices” – gaming in 2025
As the Tech Shock podcast returns for its 11th season, Vicki is joined by Sara Grimes, McGill University professor and expert in child rights and ethical game design, to explore the views of young…
10. Everyday Digital – a media literacy programme that works
Media literacy. It’s at the core of a three-year strategy from Ofcom, featured in DSIT’s ‘Digital Inclusion Action Plan’ and looks set to make more than just a fleeting appearance in the reviewed…
S10E9 9. EdTech: “Big Tech in a school uniform”?
After a shift to online learning during COVID-19, EdTech – everything from digital whiteboards and eBooks to Google Classroom and virtual reality equipment – is an industry that’s gone from strength…
S10E8 8. Violence against women and girls: what’s needed for change?
Easily accessed tech like generative AI can facilitate the nudification of another's images, platforms’ hate speech policies around gender are suddenly being watered-down, and misogynistic content…
S10E7 7. Is tech destroying our attention spans?
In the ‘information age’ it’s easy to find any number of resources and strong opinions. This makes it more crucial than ever that we're able to filter out the noise and access evidence and…
S10E6 6. Family vlogging, young people’s perspectives and the response ‘across the pond’
Awareness of emerging harms gradually develops and debates around smartphone bans and social media restrictions for children are ongoing. At the same time, the series 'Adolescence' has been turning…
S10E5 5. What's next for the Online Safety Act?
With Ofcom's duties and guidance around illegal harms and content, services’ transparency, the safety of women and girls, as well as the protection of children all being published in 2025, it’s…
S10E4 4. Schools and emerging tech: a new era of sexual harassment and abuse?
As both the sophistication and accessibility of AI is on the up, the ease in which someone can create and share realistic deepfakes involving ‘non-consensual intimate images’ increases also.…
S10E3 3. Understanding ‘good enough’ parenting and toddlers' tech use
Research shows that consistent, authoritative at-home parenting impacts children’s learning and educational outcomes. At times though, a prevailing culture within education can mean parents receive…
S10E2 2. Early years digital media literacy: new report highlights significant gaps
Children grow up surrounded by technology – engaging with it from birth. But how do we help parents with information, evidence-based advice and support so that those early interactions can lay the…
S10E1 1. Time for a change? Talking Child Financial Harms with Adam Groves
The Tech Shock podcast hits double digits as it returns for its 10th season. As always, Vicki will be joined this season by a whole host of expert guests to talk all things tech, as well as taking a…
S9E7 7. Season round-up with VoiceBox’s Natalie Foos
VoiceBox is an organisation that specialises in youth content and consultation – showcasing the talent of young creators globally. They also ensure that the youth perspective is heard through their…
S9E6 6. Digital resilience, wellbeing and the online world
Digital resilience involves understanding possible risks online, knowing where to get help and having the support to recover when things go wrong, and learning from experiences.But some emerging…
S9E5 5. AI’s role in mental health support?
AI chatbots are becoming increasingly sophisticated in how they interact with users. The insights afforded by AI tools can also be used to streamline workflows and improve efficiency across a range…
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Tech Shock - from Parent Zone has published 131 episodes since October 2020, covering topics in Arts, Kids & Family.
Tech Shock - from Parent Zone is currently sporadic with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 41m.
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