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This bonus episode of The Heat is On… Big Tech on Trial slows down to hold space for the weight of this moment.
Nicki Petrossi and Sarah Gardner are joined by Brandy and Toney Roberts, parents of 14-year-old Englyn Roberts, whose life was cut short after being exposed to harmful content on Instagram and other social media platforms. What unfolds is not just a conversation about Meta’s technology—but about grief, truth, and what it means to refuse indifference.
The Roberts family shares how Instagram’s algorithms repeatedly recommended suicide-related content to their daughter, how duplicate videos remained online long after being reported, and how easily this material continues to circulate today. Sarah breaks down the technical reality: the tools to prevent and remove this content exist—and always have.
Interwoven with these devastating realities are moments of grounding, connection, and meaning: reflections on community among bereaved parents, a courthouse vigil outside the Los Angeles trial, and the belief that love—never indifference—is what drives this fight.
This episode is raw. It is painful. And it is essential.
As the courtroom doors finally open, this conversation captures what’s truly on trial: corporate choices, accountability, and the lives of children.
Listener discretion advised.
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