Left To Their Own Devices | Toronto Star

Episode: “Introducing Left to Their Own Devices”

Release Date: September 19, 2025

Episode Overview

In this powerful introductory episode, Ava Smithing shares her personal journey through the complexities of growing up online—and sets the stage for a hard-hitting investigative series on how social media and Big Tech have transformed childhood and adolescence. Drawing from her own experiences, as well as those of other young people across the continent, Ava exposes the complex, often perilous impacts of digital platforms on mental health, body image, addiction, and vulnerability to exploitation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ava Smithing’s Story: From Social Media Spiral to Advocacy

• Origin of Ava’s Experience:
  • At age 12, Ava’s encounter with an Instagram ad sparks a spiral:

    “I opened Instagram and saw an ad for a bikini. I can still picture it. It was this tiny little neoprene thing, and the model was beautiful and, of course, ridiculously thin.” (00:01)

  • The algorithm quickly personalizes Ava’s feed, ramping up exposure:
    • From bikini ads → exercise content → diet tips → disordered eating behavior.
    • She describes “gaslighting” herself into losing 40 pounds, leading to severe starvation.
    • It would take nearly ten years for Ava to seek help for her eating disorder, which she directly connects to social media influence.
    • Powerful quote:

      “Within weeks, I was starving myself. And it would take nearly a decade before I got help from my eating disorder. An eating disorder that I believe was fueled by social media.” (02:20)

2. Shifting From Victim to Advocate

• Activism and Testimony:
  • Ava moves into advocacy after realizing the scale of the problem:

    “Ever since I realized what was going on, I’ve been trying to make the Internet a little bit safer.” (03:00)

  • She testifies before Congress and lobbies on Capitol Hill, emphasizing her role as one of many affected young women.

    “I was one of the teenage girls on Instagram with an eating disorder...” (03:10)

3. The Bigger Picture: Generation Defined by Technology

• Dramatic Mental Health Trends:
  • Cites rising depression, anxiety, and suicide among young people over the past decade.

    “Rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among young people have risen dramatically in the last decade.” (03:20)

• A New Kind of Investigation:
  • Ava frames the podcast as a “survival story from the front lines,” with young people themselves redefining what it means to grow up in a hyperconnected world.
    • Quote from an anonymous participant:

      “My whole life, I was always doing anything I could to get outside of myself. But the sort of evolution of technology threw gasoline on that fire.” (03:40)

• Broad Scope:
  • Ava’s yearlong investigation involves:
    • Teens in 12-step programs for social media addiction.
    • Girls struggling with compulsive porn use.
    • Boys targeted and blackmailed by international cybercriminals.

4. Dualities of Technology

• Giving Voice & Causing Harm:
  • Some kids find empowerment through online platforms:

    “How many followers do you have now? Let’s see. On TikTok, I have 5.9 million.” (05:00)

  • Others are pushed into darkness:

    “It felt like I was in like a jailhouse without the key...I’d literally sit in my room all day and watch porn when I was, like, 11. There was never a stopping point.” (05:30)

5. Industry Responsibility & Pushback

• How Tech Companies Shape the World:
  • Tech insiders speak to platform design:

    “These products are designed to be engaging. That’s what we want them to do...We want them to be easy to use. That’s not a problem. That’s progress.” (06:20)

• Growing Countermovement:
  • Critics and activists highlight the consequences:

    “This is a company with almost limitless resources, but it’s enabling monsters to victimize people. It’s enabling the worst of the worst. And that has to stop.” (06:50) “They are killing kids. And I don’t care if it’s one kid or 10 million kids. It is killing kids.” (07:15)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker/Context | |-----------|-------|----------------| | 00:01 | “I opened Instagram and saw an ad for a bikini... the model was beautiful and, of course, ridiculously thin.” | Ava, recalling the start of her spiral | 02:20 | “Within weeks, I was starving myself... an eating disorder that I believe was fueled by social media.” | Ava | 03:20 | “Rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among young people have risen dramatically in the last decade.” | Ava | 03:40 | “My whole life, I was always doing anything I could to get outside of myself. But the sort of evolution of technology threw gasoline on that fire.” | Young interview participant | 05:00 | “Let’s see. On TikTok, I have 5.9 million [followers].” | Young creator | 05:30 | “It felt like I was in like a jail house without the key. And I just could not get out...I’d literally sit in my room all day and watch porn when I was, like, 11.” | Anonymous teen interviewee | 06:20 | “These products are designed to be engaging...That’s progress.” | Tech industry voice | 06:50 | “It’s enabling monsters to victimize people. It’s enabling the worst of the worst. And that has to stop.” | Critic/activist | 07:15 | “They are killing kids. And I don’t care if it’s one kid or 10 million kids. It is killing kids.” | Whistleblower/advocate | 07:55 | “This one device could have easily ruined my life.” | Ava, closing

Important Segments & Timestamps

• 00:01–02:30: Ava’s personal story—Instagram, algorithm, eating disorder
• 02:30–04:00: Ava’s transition to advocacy, Congressional testimony
• 04:00–05:30: Broader investigation—speaking with affected youth
• 05:30–07:00: Examples of both positive and negative transformations via technology
• 07:00–end: Industry responsibility, pushback from critics and survivors

Tone and Style

• Raw, honest, personal: Ava’s narration is candid about her struggles and trauma.
• Empathetic, urgent: The podcast is positioned as more than informational—it's a call to awareness and action.
• Investigation, not self-help: Ava’s framing is deeply investigative, highlighting survival, resilience, and urgent systemic questions, not individual solutions.

Summary

This episode introduces “Left to Their Own Devices” as an urgent, personal, and investigative deep dive into how digital platforms have reshaped what it means to grow up in the 21st century. Through Ava Smithing’s testimony and those of many young people, listeners are shown the dual-edged sword of technological progress: connection and empowerment for some, but devastation and danger for many more. Featuring memorable quotes, harrowing anecdotes, and perspectives from industry insiders to survivors, the episode sets the stage for a critical, empathetic conversation about the hunger for attention online, the cost of hyperconnectivity, and a generation’s fight to reclaim their futures.