Jenny Radesky, is associate professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Division of Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics at the University of Michigan Medical School. Her clinical work focuses on children with autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities, while her research lab examines how young children and parents use mobile and interactive technology, parent-child relationships, and child self-regulation.

Radesky joins the Michigan Minds podcast to discuss the hidden design forces that make modern technology difficult for families to manage, the limits of classroom phone bans, and what parents can actually do to reclaim summer. She also explores why she sees the struggle over screen time not as a parenting failure, but as a systemic problem—and what it would take for tech companies to change.

How hard is it to restrict what your child sees on his or her device?

It depends on if you have been honest about the child's age on their device. And here are a couple of ways that can be difficult. Sometimes devices are shared between different family members and they just have the account under the parent. That device might not default to child safety settings.

Another thing about accuracy and honesty of age is I have asked so many of my patients, how old did you say you were when you started that TikTok account? They will be like, I have no idea. I started it five years ago. I probably said I was 25. One kid told me, he always says he is 65 or something.

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Ekow Yankah, is associate dean for faculty and research, Thomas M. Cooley Professor of Law and a professor of philosophy at the University of Michigan. His work focuses on questions of political and criminal theory and, particularly, questions of political obligation and justifications of punishment.

Yankah joins the Michigan Minds podcast to discuss the legal structures governing American elections, the constitutional roadblocks to federalizing the vote and the reality of modern election security. He also explores the historical context of political power and the importance of active citizenship in maintaining democratic institutions.

When we hear claims of widespread voter fraud in the news, what kind of high level evidence do courts actually require before they would even consider overturning an election result?

We should be really clear about this. There is no evidence of voter fraud. It gets exhausting. I understand that some of us who have worked in elections, election protection, sometimes get frustrated because it feels like you're fighting against imaginary dragons or something, even having to make these arguments.

Maybe in our history there have been some remarkable moments... but in modern history, there is no voter fraud. Even when those who are most skeptical take former high level politicians like Kobach in Kansas and are given extraordinary powers to investigate and find this voter fraud that they have convinced people exists, they can't find it.

Michigan Minds is produced by Greta Guest and hosted by Juan Ochoa. Jeremy Marble is the audio engineer and Hans Anderson provides social media animations. Listen to all episodes of the podcast.

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Many people love to eat ultra-processed foods. Think about those crispy French fries, or the delicious strawberry milkshake. Ultra-processed foods are heavily changed from their original form and made mostly in factories rather than kitchens. Instead of simple ingredients you might recognize—like flour, eggs, or milk—these foods often contain long lists of additives, preservatives, artificial flavors, and chemicals designed to improve taste, texture, and shelf life.

Ashley Gearhardt, a University of Michigan psychology professor, studies how addictive processes may drive overeating. She joins the Michigan Minds podcast to share her insights on the impact of these foods on a global level and what drives over-consumption.

"Many of those products are delivering these unnaturally intense and concentrated combos of rapidly absorbable carbohydrates and added fats," she explained. "That combination just does not exist in nature, and our brain never evolved to handle that amount of intense reward stimulation in a food."

But it doesn’t stop there. Gearhardt explains that the food industry uses special ingredients and descriptions to “wake up” your brain and make food taste more exciting. Scientists can create strong flavors—like something that tastes like a strawberry—even if there’s no real strawberry in it. For example, the Froot Loops cereal tastes fruity, even though they don’t actually contain fruit.

Many of these foods send signals to your brain that remind you of natural foods your body is wired to enjoy, but they’re actually made in factories using chemicals, she said.

When these intense flavors are combined with things like refined carbs and fats, they stimulate your brain even more. This can make you start craving those specific tastes. You might find yourself wanting the flavor of Coca-Cola, the spicy “burn” of Flamin' Hot Cheetos, or the sweetness of a strawberry milkshake.

"Because of this, people often keep going back to those foods and craving them again and again," she said.

Michigan Minds is produced by Greta Guest and hosted by Michigan News staff. Jeremy Marble is the audio engineer, and Hans Anderson provides social media animations. Listen to all episodes of the podcast.

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