EPISODE · May 28, 2026 · 45 MIN
Is Social Media Destroying a Generation?
from The Dr. Phil Podcast
He was eight years old the first time he logged onto Roblox. He was fifteen when his mother called the platform to ask why her son was in the hospital. They say the company sent her a copy-paste email with a suicide hotline number. Nothing else. Now 22, Michael ... known online as "Schlep” ... says he was groomed on Roblox as a child by a developer the platform promoted and profited from. He says he spent two years running sting operations on the platform that hurt him, getting six predators arrested and protecting children across the country. Michael says the social media’s response was to ban him, sent a cease-and-desist, and accused him of acting like a predator himself. Dr. Phil sits down with Michael and his attorney Steven Vanderporten ...who represents over 3000+ survivors who say they were exploited on on this platform, alongside Mark Lanier, the trial attorney who recently made history when a Los Angeles jury found Meta and YouTube liable for deliberately designing their platforms to addict children, with malice, fraud, and oppression. With over 100 federal Roblox cases now consolidated in court and 2,300 more pending against Meta, the question is no longer whether these platforms are dangerous. A jury already answered that. The question now is: what are you going to do about it?Contact your representatives: https://protectkidsnotplatforms.org/https://www.lanierlawfirm.com/https://www.lanierlawfirm.com/product-liability/social-media-addiction-lawsuit/https://www.lanierlawfirm.com/product-liability/roblox-lawsuit-lawyer/This episode is brought to you by: Get up to $20,000 in FREE Gold & Silver with a qualified purchase. Text ASKPHIL to 50505 or visit https://DrPhilgold.comThis episode is brought to you by: Don’t wait! If you’re on Medicare or will be soon, reach out to Chapter: Call: (352)-845-0659 or go to https://askchapter.org to learn about your Medicare options and get help finding ways to save money.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
What this episode covers
A 22-year-old who says he was groomed on Roblox as a child got six predators arrested — then got banned by the platform that hurt him. Now the attorney who just won a landmark verdict against Meta joins Dr. Phil to ask: what did Big Tech know, and why did it take a jury to make them answer for it?
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Is Social Media Destroying a Generation?
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