No generation has been as exposed to online hate and violent content than today’s young people. In this episode, leading extremism expert Cynthia Miller-Idriss speaks with parenting expert and New York Times columnist Jessica Grose, who gives practical advice for parents, caregivers, and educators on navigating online spaces with their children. She also talks to three young people — Lexi, Jennings, and Seannie — about their online lives, what they think about the types of extreme content they’re exposed to every day, and their advice for adults on how to talk to kids about these issues.

Host:

• Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Founding Director of The Polarization & Extremism Research & Innovation Lab (PERIL) at American University

Guests:

• Jessica Grose, journalist, author, and editor.

• Lexi, college student

• Jennings and Seannie, college students

Read more in Miller-Idriss’s book, “Man Up: The New Misogyny & the Rise of Extremism” published in 2025 by Princeton University Press, available here.

Online media that promotes misogyny often also includes gender policing around LGBTQ+ issues. In this episode, leading extremism expert Cynthia Miller-Idriss explores the erasure of gender nonconformity with Kaitlyn Tierney, co-founder of the nonprofit Diverting Hate, and speaks to Christopher and Tobi Lennertz for a family’s perspective on their real, lived experiences.

Host:

• Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Founding Director of The Polarization & Extremism Research & Innovation Lab (PERIL) at American University

Guests:

• Kaitlyn Tierney, policy advocate and CEO & Co-Founder of Diverting Hate

• Christopher & Tobi Lennertz, Father and son

Read more in Miller-Idriss’s book, “Man Up: The New Misogyny & the Rise of Extremism” published in 2025 by Princeton University Press, available here.

Online games can be a positive space with rich storytelling and social connection for young people. But they can also be a powerful influence – one where parents and caregivers often don’t have visibility into what their children are experiencing. In this episode, leading extremism expert Cynthia Miller-Idriss explores the potential real-world effects of online hate by looking at the world of online gaming. She talks to Rachel Kowert and Galen Lamphere-Englund — two of the world’s leading experts on the intersections between gaming, misogyny, and extremism — about what it’s like to be a young person online, how bad actors can take advantage of these spaces, and how we can build a better gaming world together.

Host:

• Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Founding Director of The Polarization & Extremism Research & Innovation Lab (PERIL) at American University

Guests:

• Rachel Kowert, Research Psychologist, founder of Psychgeist® multimedia content production studio

• Galen Lamphere-Englund, Co-founder of the Extremism and Gaming Research Network (EGRN), Senior Advisor and Consultant at Englund Consulting

Read more in Miller-Idriss’s book, “Man Up: The New Misogyny & the Rise of Extremism” published in 2025 by Princeton University Press, available here.