Reducing Harm in a Digital World With Dr. Barry Davis and Laura Tierney

Episode 92: Reducing Harm in a Digital World

With Dr. Barry Davis and Laura Tierney

Available October 13, 2026

As technology advances at an unprecedented pace, school leaders have to make rapid decisions about how to manage the risks and opportunities in real time. What can we learn from the history of public health prevention strategies about proactive risk management, and how can we help kids continue to grow and develop while living in an increasingly digital world? Host Morva McDonald brings together two experts from disparate backgrounds to share their thoughts on AI, social media, and navigating the delicate balance between preparing kids for the future and mitigating harm.

Guests: Dr. Barry Davis and Laura Tierney

Resources, Transcript, and Expanded Show Notes

In This Episode:

“Now, there's this whole thing in prevention about personal responsibility versus societal responsibility. And I think of this, you know, many of the times this has come up and they talk about is this social media's big tobacco moment? And I've written a lot about big tobacco. What happens is that there's so much that can be done from a personal level, whether it be the students or the parents or the teachers. But there's also the opposite thing where the people, the companies who make this stuff, whether it be AI or social media, they have responsibility. And the government has a responsibility to rein companies in to do things.” (5:33)“You really need to create this, you know, team-oriented, I think, culture and environment where you're getting everyone on the same page. And I think that's harder to do when technology is throwing you curveball after curveball every week. But I think the, what's hopeful, I think, about this is that the same skills are required, you know, that we needed 10 years ago to navigate social media. As you see the evolution of AI happening, you need proactive communication, you need common standards, you need frequent communication to families and teachers. And so I'm hopeful that you can get alignment, but you do have to think about those three groups very thoughtfully.” (11:49)“I think having rules and standards is always a good thing for students and adults, not just the students. So I think of it as a both and – have the rules in place at a school and combine that with education, combine it with practice, because the rules are not there when the bell rings and a fourth grader goes home on their family tablet or starts playing in a multiplayer, yo