Summary5 min read

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.

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Transcript1 lines

[00:02]
A
Like a lot of stories nowadays, this one starts on the Internet. When I was 12 years old, 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 wearing it was beautiful and, of course, ridiculously thin. I don't remember if I actually clicked on the ad or if my eyes just lingered on it for a second too long, but either way, the algorithm noticed. I'm not getting paid to say this. Hand on heart. These bikinis are the best things I've ever put on my body. And soon, my social media feeds went from bikini ads, the cut the color to exercise videos. I literally used to have a belly to dieting tips. I gaslit myself into losing £40 by just pretending I'm already sick. So I've literally tried every diet possible. You don't have to eat your full meal, whatever's in front of you. 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. My name is Ava Smithing. Ever since I realized what was going on, I've been trying to make the Internet a little bit safer. Chair Bill Arakis. Ranking member Schakowski. I've testified in front of Congress. My name is Ava Smithing, and I was one of the teenage girls on Instagram with an eating disorder, lobbied on Capitol Hill, and met hundreds of young people with stories like mine. Rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among young people have risen dramatically in the last decade. You've probably heard some of this before. What is all of this screen time doing to our brains? But I'm guessing you've never heard it like this. 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. I spent the past year talking to young people all over the continent, and what I found is a generation that has been transformed by technology. This has caused maybe one of the best things in my life to happen. But also I have friends who it has taken so much from them. This is a story of how these technologies came to be. I got a phone call from somebody on Facebook who said his boss was facing an existential crisis and would I be willing to meet Mark Zuckerberg Technologies that gave some kids a voice? How many followers do you have now? Let's see. On TikTok, I have 5.9 million. And pushed other kids into the darkest moments of their lives. It felt like I was in like a jail house without the key. And I just could not get out. And so I'd literally sit in my room all day and watch porn when I was, like, 11. There was never a stopping point. Even if that meant dying on your bathroom floor, even if that meant, like, your heart failing. It didn't matter. As long as I was skinny, that's all that mattered to me. This is a podcast about how the most profitable companies in history remade the world in their image. These products are designed to be engaging. That's what we want them to do. Are we gonna say stop making your devices so user friendly? No, we want them to be easy to use. That's not a problem. That's progress. And how people all over the world started to fight back. 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. From paradigms in the Toronto Star. This is a story about a generation of kids that was given a revolutionary technology and then left to their own devices. They are killing kids. And I don't care if it's one kid or 10 million kids. It is killing kids. Coming soon. Wherever you get your podcasts. This one device could have easily ruined my life.