People First Radio – July 2, 2026

People First Radio – July 2, 2026

What drives someone to seek a life that’s mentally healthier in a hyper-digital age? This conversation on People First Radio zooms in on how smartphones, AI, and social media shape the daily reality of today’s teenagers – and what that means for their mental health.

High school students and Dais Youth Champions Isis Constantino from Moncton, Princess Akinzua from Winnipeg, and Miko Proudlove from Saskatchewan talk frankly about being the first generation to grow up with phones and AI as a constant backdrop. Phones are “tools we use for communication, learning, organisation, creativity,” Princess explains, but they’re also a source of stress, pressure, and comparison.

You’ll hear them unpack how AI in schools makes it easier to dodge the discomfort that real learning requires, while also making genuinely strong work look suspicious. As Isis puts it, “People aren’t really used to being bored anymore… growth isn’t happening anymore.” They share stories of teachers using AI to grade papers, youth being accused of cheating when they’ve simply worked hard, and the weird feeling of having no real way to step completely away from technology.

Social media gets a hard, honest look too. Princess calls it “a new religion” built on likes, trends, and rage bait, where algorithms push polarising content and bullying becomes background noise. The three also touch on government regulation, asking tough questions about who should control what young people see and what happens when algorithms decide which voices are amplified. Despite all this, the tone stays grounded and hopeful.

They argue for balance instead of bans, empathy instead of judgement, and better digital literacy for schools, parents, and leaders. It might leave you asking: are we using technology, or is it quietly using us?