The Monocle Daily – February 18, 2026 Episode Summary: "Social-media addiction, under-16s and European investigations"

Overview

In this episode of The Monocle Daily, host Georgina Godwin is joined by guests Ash Bhardwaj (journalist, author, and new father) and Marie Le Conte (political journalist and author) to examine the day’s key stories across Europe and beyond. Key discussions include the impact of social media on young people and society, government interventions and investigations into tech giants, the politicization of public institutions, the intersection of politics and culture/sport, urban regulation, and insight into Milanese architecture. Guest Patricia Veal (co-founder of ACPV Architects) also shares perspectives on Milan's architectural tradition.

Key Discussion Points

1. Parenting and Travel with Young Children

• Ash Bhardwaj’s Approach:
  • Advocates for traveling with young children, believing travel can instill confidence and skills. ("You can actually do more than you think you can and you kind of cut away the unnecessary stuff." – Ash Bhardwaj, 01:52)
  • Notes on practical challenges and ways to help parents and children manage travel (stickers, coloring books, prepping children).
  • Empathy emphasized for parents dealing with difficult situations while traveling. (03:10)

2. Surviving Trauma and the Power of Speaking Out

• Interview with Giselle Pellico:
  • Marie Le Conte reflects on interviewing Pellico, a French woman who stepped forward after marital sexual abuse, shifting shame onto perpetrators.
  • Pellico’s resilience and poetic framing of her past: “She describes herself in the book as someone going through a house that's burned down... trying to find pieces to hold onto.” (05:10)
  • Uplifting update: Pellico has found new happiness and a supportive partner.

3. Leaving Twitter (X), Social Media Use, and Addiction

• Marie Le Conte’s Social Media Exit:
  • Left Twitter/X after the 2024 US election, disenchanted with Elon Musk’s ownership: "I can't be on Elon Musk's platform doing his work for him, making him richer." (07:40)
  • Now uses BlueSky and Instagram; admits relationship to social media has not fundamentally changed.

4. Social Media Regulation and Impact on Youth

• Meta & Big Tech on Trial:

  • Zuckerberg testifies in LA over platforms’ addictive design and harm to youth.
  • Lawsuit compared social media tactics to Big Tobacco: purposefully addictive, ignored internal research attesting harm.
  • Ash Bhardwaj: Draws parallels to tobacco, notes that similar corporate strategies are being used to deny causation despite strong correlations. (08:57)
  • Marie Le Conte: Skeptical about government regulation focused solely on under-16s: "I worry that the governments trying to implement that are essentially finding easy solutions to hard problems.” (10:31)
  • Comprehensive regulation should target algorithmic design, not just age bans. (11:42)

• Social Media Habits:

  • Ash admits habitual, sometimes compulsive Instagram use: "I would like to be using it less. And I find that I compulsively turn to it in ways that I am not happy that I'm doing.” (12:12)
  • Marie highlights BlueSky’s chronological, non-algorithmic timeline as refreshing and less addictive. (13:24)

5. Insulating Public Institutions from Populism

• Central Bank Succession in France and EU:
  • French and EU central bank heads stepping down early to let centrists appoint successors, possibly as guard against populist takeover.
  • Ash and Marie debate if this is safeguarding democracy or just “a slightly grubby game” both sides play. (14:31, 15:00)
  • Discussion of populists in Hungary entrenching supporters, making reform difficult even if elections are lost.

6. Should Institutions Reflect Political Waves?

• Supreme Court and Institutional Balance:
  • Ash warns that unbalanced appointments can send institutions “accelerating in a particular direction." (15:54)
  • Marie counters that some far-right governments seek to permanently damage institutions beyond simple democratic fluctuations. (16:14)

7. Politics in Art and Sport

• Ukraine’s Boycott of Paralympic Opening Ceremony:

  • Ukraine protests Russian/Belarusian participation under their national flags.
  • Ash: “The Olympics have never been separated from politics. They've always been used… as a way to generate influence and credibility.” (18:58)
  • Marie: Politics are inherent in all international competitions, from Eurovision voting patterns to “Arab Idol.” (19:56)
  • Ash defends restrictions: “[Russian athletes] can still compete, just not under the Russian or Belarusian flags... you’re not giving Russia and Belarus, the nations, the legitimacy that they seek.” (20:57)

• Art, Literature, and Freedom of Expression:

  • Berlinale Festival controversy and double standards on political statements (e.g., Ukraine vs. Israel/Gaza).
  • Marie: It’s “nonsensical” to expect art to be apolitical. (21:54)
  • Ash: Agrees—separating art, sport, and politics is impossible; platforms can be manipulated for political gain. (22:37, 25:45)
  • Marie notes the challenge to liberal institutions from populist figures like Steve Bannon, arguing that giving a platform is their primary goal. (24:45)

8. Urban Culture: Pedicab Regulation in London

• Transport for London to License Pedicab Drivers:
  • Both guests agree regulation is overdue—price gouging and nuisance cited as key problems. (26:12–28:10)
  • Anecdotes about pedicab experiences—amusing and disruptive.

9. Architecture & Milan's Urban Evolution (Interview with Patricia Veal)

• Milan’s Distinct Architectural Style:
  • Milan’s blend of modernity, rigor, and elegance; “modernity is a tradition here." (29:48)
  • Challenges of new constructions: Respecting urban context while promoting vertical density.
  • Modern office design focuses on social interaction, flexibility, and permeability, not just efficiency or image. (“It's more about the attitude, the sense of community, the sense of… being permeable to the world outside the company, to… evolve.” – Patricia Veal, 35:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “You can actually do more than you think you can and you kind of cut away the unnecessary stuff.”
  – Ash Bhardwaj on family travel (01:52)

• “Shame has to change sides. I have no reason to be ashamed as a rape victim.”
  – Giselle Pellico via Marie Le Conte (05:10)

• “I can't be on Elon Musk's platform doing his work for him, making him richer.”
  – Marie Le Conte (07:40)

• “By banning social media for under 16s, we're not making the hard decisions, which is forcing those companies to alter the way they're doing things.”
  – Ash Bhardwaj (12:12)

• “If it moves between center left and center right, that's fine, but this is something on the far right, really. How do you prevent it?”
  – Ash Bhardwaj on institutional neutrality/populism (17:25)

• “The Olympics have never been separated from politics. They've always been used by the nations hosting them as a way to generate influence.”
  – Ash Bhardwaj (18:58)

• “I think any kind of international contest will have politics in it.”
  – Marie Le Conte (20:48)

• “It is very difficult, particularly for those young authors.”
  – Ash Bhardwaj on the burden of political purity and cancel culture in literature (23:35)

• “[Milan is] a very special city in Italy, where modernity is very much embedded in the aesthetics of the evolution of the city.”
  – Patricia Veal (29:48)

Timestamps by Segment

• Traveling with Young Children: 01:28–04:02
• Giselle Pellico’s Story & Memoir: 04:15–06:16
• Leaving Twitter/X & Social Media Habits: 06:38–08:27
• Social Media on Trial; Big Tech & Youth: 08:27–13:54
• Public Institutions & Political Interference: 13:54–16:40
• Politics in Art and Sport (Ukraine, Eurovision, Berlinale, Book World): 16:40–25:45
• Pedicab Regulation in London: 26:12–28:20
• Milanese Architecture & Urbanism (Patricia Veal interview): 29:07–36:18

Tone and Style

The episode skillfully blends sharp, articulate commentary with moments of humor and personal insight. Both guests offer nuanced, occasionally candid takes, with thoughtful disagreement and mutual respect. The mood shifts from serious societal issues to lighter tones when discussing London’s urban quirks, maintaining Monocle’s signature blend of informality and depth.

For further news, analysis, and international perspectives, tune in to The Monocle Daily every weekday.