One of the most interesting conversations I have had recently was around something most of us carry every single day without really questioning it anymore.

Our phones.

Richard Lalchan joined me on Better With Humans and we explored what smartphones, social media, and now AI are actually doing to us, particularly our children. Not from a fear perspective. From a human perspective.

One thing Richard said really stuck with me. Kids do not yet have the neurological hardware to make long-term decisions about technology designed by multi-billion dollar companies whose business model depends on attention.

That lands differently when you stop and think about it.

As parents, leaders, educators, and people working in technology, we cannot just ask: “What can this technology do?”

We also need to ask: “What is this technology doing to us?”

I resonated deeply with the conversation around endless scrolling.

• Books have an ending.
• Conversations have pauses.
• Meals finish.

But many apps are intentionally designed without an endpoint. That changes behaviour over time.

The other part that really hit me was this idea that boredom is not the enemy.

Some of our best thinking, creativity, reflection, and emotional processing happens in quiet moments. Moments that are increasingly being filled by notifications, scrolling, and constant stimulation.

And this is not about blaming parents. Life is hard. Parenting is hard. Leadership is hard. Sometimes people just need five minutes of peace.

What matters is that we are willing to step back and honestly examine the systems shaping our lives and our children’s lives.

• Not just accepting technology because it exists.
• Not assuming progress automatically equals good.
• Not waiting twenty years before asking difficult questions.

Technology should equip, empower, and encourage people.
Not quietly replace human connection, critical thinking, and presence.

Grateful to Richard for such an honest and thoughtful conversation.

Come on people. Let’s do this.

This was made with humans.

Your host - Shaun Phillips

Editor: Glen Boswell
https://astralforgefilm.com
https://www.instagram.com/thebozzyman

Original music composed and produced by Brokli - https://youtube.com/@iambrokli

Original logo illustration and in video podcast graphics by Jesse Rist - https://instagram.com/jesse_rist

Follow us for episode clips https://www.instagram.com/betterwithhumans

All episodes and news at https://www.betterwithhumans.com

Want to watch episodes instead, check out https://www.youtube.com/@betterwithhumans?sub_confirmation=1

Connect with Shaun on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaunph/

The way we create. The way we think. The way we live.

And most of us have not stopped to ask whether we actually chose this.
I am Shaun Phillips. And I have been sitting down with the people right in the middle of it.
Industry leaders. Creatives. Thinkers. People navigating the shift in real time.
Not polished takes. Not press releases. Honest conversations.
One idea keeps coming back.
If we choose the speed of AI today, we are borrowing intelligence from the future.
What does that actually mean for us?
That is what this show is about. Not the technology for technology's sake. What it means to stay human through it.

We borrowed something without asking.

They were weak. Weedy. Because nothing pushed back..

That is the question underneath all of this. Not just what AI can do for us. What happens to us if it quietly removes the very things that make us capable?

Let's find out what is better with humans.

This was made with humans.

Your host - Shaun Phillips

Editor: Glen Boswell
https://astralforgefilm.com
https://www.instagram.com/thebozzyman

Original music composed and produced by Brokli - https://youtube.com/@iambrokli

Original logo illustration and in video podcast graphics by Jesse Rist - https://instagram.com/jesse_rist

Follow us for episode clips https://www.instagram.com/betterwithhumans

All episodes and news at https://www.betterwithhumans.com

Want to watch episodes instead, check out https://www.youtube.com/@betterwithhumans?sub_confirmation=1

Connect with Shaun on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaunph/