Posts by Ryan
The Emotional Support Electronic
For many students, talking to someone in class feels intimidating. Saying “hi” to someone you don’t know? Almost unthinkable. The hallway — once a place of spontaneous conversation — has become a corridor of avoidance.
Read MoreRetail Taught Us How to Hook Adults. Social Media Perfected It for Kids.
Retail taught us how to influence adults.
Social media refined it.
Our kids are growing up inside it.
When Kids Start Talking to ‘Someone’ Who Isn’t Real
Kids can have conversations that feel just like talking to someone at school, but the “person” on the other end isn’t a person at all. It’s a chatbot. Built by algorithms. Learning from what your child types. Evolving with every update.
Read MoreWhen AI Crosses a Line: Deepnudes, Grok, and Real Concerns
A deepnude is an image where someone’s clothes are digitally removed—or a nude body is entirely created—using AI. Five years ago, this technology was clunky and fairly easy to spot. Today, it’s nearly indistinguishable from a real photo.
Read MoreWhen AI Lets Us Talk to the Dead
I just heard about this app today on a podcast I was listening to. I was surprised by the goal of the app—for about a minute. Then my reaction was, of course this exists, and I’m sure others are working on similar ideas too.
Read MoreWeb 3.0 + Childhood = ?
Do young kids really need toys that talk back? Stuffed animals with AI built in? A digital companion whispering into the still-forming mind of a child?
Read MoreBeing Intentional With Technology: How We Introduced Our Kids to Social Media and Devices
Raising kids in a fast-moving digital world is hard—here’s the intentional plan our family used to make it manageable.
Read MoreRethinking ADHD Diagnoses in the Age of Infinite Scroll
A Shape the Sky supporter emailed me an article suggesting there may be more than one type of ADHD. The title grabbed me immediately:
“Rethinking ADHD Diagnoses in the Age of Infinite Scroll: When attention problems aren’t hardwired — they may be downloaded.”