Feel sure about your child's smartphone.
A free, 90-minute session on how apps and games are built to hook our kids, and what actually works at home.
The internet isn't safe for kids, and nobody's coming to fix it soon.
Companies won't slow down. Governments will take their time. The time to fix this is now.
Kids who got their first smartphone at 12 or 13 had 57% higher odds of depression and other clinical-level symptoms a year later than kids who stayed smartphone-free, even accounting for how they were doing before. Owning a smartphone at 12 was already linked to 31% higher odds of depression.
In the session: when to give the first smartphone, how to set it up, and how to reset the rules if your child already has one.
Barzilay et al., Pediatrics, 2026 (N=10,588; OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.12–2.20 for clinical-level symptoms at 13 following 12-to-13 acquisition; OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.05–1.63 for depression at 12; observational, not causal)
Meta's own 2021 estimate: about 100,000 children a day were sexually harassed on its messaging platforms (Facebook, Instagram).
In the session: who can reach your child online, and the settings and conversations that close the door.
Internal 2021 Meta presentation, surfaced via New Mexico AG litigation document production, 2024
13.5% of teen girls in the UK said Instagram made thoughts of suicide worse. Meta's own researchers found this in 2019, two years before anyone outside the company knew.
In the session: how feeds keep teens comparing themselves, and how to talk about it so your child actually listens.
Meta internal research (‘Teen Mental Health Deep Dive’, 2019), via Frances Haugen's Senate testimony and the WSJ Facebook Files, 2021
We all clicked Sure. Time to ask again:
Are you Sure?
Here's the good news: there's a lot you can do at home. In 90 minutes, I'll show you how the apps are built to hook our kids, and how we take back control.
About an hour of talk, then up to 30 minutes of questions and discussion. Led by Gilad, at a school, community centre or workplace near you.
What you'll learn
- How the hooks actually work, from someone who built them
- What the research really says, including what it doesn't
- What to do at home, whether your child has a smartphone yet or not: device-free times, handling pushback, and the first smartphone
What you leave with
- A family smartphone agreement you and your child both sign, for a first smartphone or a fresh start
- An invitation to a WhatsApp community of parents doing this too
And many more tools.
Formats
Are you Sure? For parents
How the hooks work, what the research says, and what to do at home.
Sure, this one.Are you Sure? Together
Parents and teens in the same room, finding a shared language for the conversation you keep almost having.
Sure, this one.Looking for Are you Sure? For teens?
So who's telling you this?
Hi, I'm Gilad.
I built these products. Here's what I know.
- Product manager at companies like eBay and monday.com. I know how these hooks get built, because building them was the job.
- Three years running my own venture, Prickly Bear, trying to fix this from the inside. The lesson: the fix has to come from home, not from another app.
- Father of three, and uncle to 16 kids who are teenagers or about to be.
Why is it free?
Because this is my mission. I spent years building the products that keep kids hooked. Now I want to help parents and teens take back control. No catch, and nothing to buy.
Want a session, or just want to know more?
Sure, let's talk.
Want to bring a session to your school or community, join one that's coming up, or just ask a question? Tell me a bit and I'll get back to you.
Free, and no commitment. I'll reply within 3 working days.