Episode Details

Professor Sara M. Grimes is a prominent scholar and world-leading expert in children’s digital media culture, rights, and play.

Since August 2024, she has served as a Full Professor at McGill University, where she holds the Wolfe Chair in Scientific and Technological Literacy.

Her research examines the intersection of technology, commercialisation, and childhood, with a particular focus on digital games and virtual worlds.

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Timestamps:

(00:00:00) – Preview

(00:02:47) – 2025 Review in terms of children's rights online since Trump's election and his influence on Big Tech.

(00:14:25) – How does America's lax behaviour toward regulating big tech impact Canada as the next-door neighbour with deep dependency?

(00:20:06) – The big problem with Australia's recently introduced social media ban for under 16s. Why Tim and Sara fundamentally disagree with this approach.

(00:26:12) – How certain governments benefit from preventing young generations from accessing social media – ie, their only source of news and geopolitical events!

(00:30:34) – The impact of Silicon Valley's "move fast and break things" philosophy on children's online safety – a philosophy shared by Epstein!

(00:35:30) – The long-term impact of banning children from accessing online platforms on their education and the normalisation of dangerous trends, such as the manosphere.

(00:44:20) – Should social media platforms finally be treated and regulated as media outlets and content publishers?

(00:49:57) – Early signs of whether the Australian ban is effective, with emerging contradictory arguments.

(00:58:18) – Sara's direct response to critics who support tech restrictions for children and social media bans.

(01:04:16) – The surprising attitude of young people toward online privacy

(01:15:16) – How banning children further exposes their private data to big tech.

(01:20:02) – What has Sara learnt from her work with the United Nations about other countries' concerns about Trump's Silicon Valley and children's online safety?

Episode Notes & Citations:

⁠⁠https://ceoretort.com/podcast/guest/2026/02/19/sara-grimes-tech-restrictions-for-children-are-more-dangerous-for-their-safety/

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