IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE LAVIN AGENCY

Gabriela Nguyen discusses how children have transitioned from a play-based childhood to one largely defined by digital interaction.

What happens when you grow up as the smartphone generation and then decide to put the phone down? In this episode, Olivia sits down with Gabriela Nguyen, founder of Appstinence, a Gen Z-led movement fighting to reclaim what we've lost to our screens. Together they dig into the real cost of a childhood shaped by devices, why social media has quietly rewired how an entire generation connects, and what it actually feels like to live without an iPhone in 2026.

Over the course of one day, students from three different Bay Area high schools are invited to question and sharpen their discourse skills while exploring these questions for themselves.

Lisa Damour, Gabriela Nguyen, and Dani Blum explore practical ways to protect well-being, reclaim attention, and build genuine connection in a hyperconnected world.

Appstinence founder Gabriela Nguyen on the modern day Luddite movement.