Parenting

From TikTok Trends to AI Answers: Dr. Aliza Pressman’s Guide to Raising Savvy Kids on ‘The Art of Being Well’

October 27, 2025

Parenting has always come with its challenges, but no one was prepared for raising kids in a world where TikTok trends and AI chatbots are louder than actual teachers. On The Art of Being Well, host Dr. Will Cole sits down with developmental psychologist and host of Raising Good Humans, Dr. Aliza Pressman, to break down what this all means for modern parenting—and how we can raise kids who can tell the difference between reliable information and digital noise.

As a mom of two teenagers, Pressman sees firsthand how quickly new “truths” spread among peers. When her kids come home with something they’ve heard, she makes it a habit to ask, “Where did you learn that?” That simple question forces kids to pause and check the credibility of their source—a small but powerful first step toward critical thinking.

When AI gets it wrong

One of Pressman’s favorite parenting strategies is pulling back the curtain on technology’s flaws. She recalls asking a chatbot to list the five principles from her own bestselling parenting book. The kicker? “The first three times I asked, it was wrong,” she says. By letting her kids see those errors in real time, she shows them that even the most advanced technology can’t always be trusted.

Cole ties this lesson back to the bigger picture of information overload. We’re consuming more data than ever, and the human brain wasn’t built for this pace. Without strategies to slow down and evaluate what we’re seeing, it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing whatever shows up first. Pressman emphasizes that parents don’t have to be tech experts to help their kids here. Instead, she encourages modeling curiosity. Try asking kids to reframe their questions when using AI and compare the results.

Teaching empathy in a digital-first world

Of course, it’s not just about spotting bad information. Pressman argues that empathy is equally important. She believes that raising critical thinkers also means raising compassionate ones—kids who can see multiple perspectives without dismissing them.

And while the conversation centers on kids, the truth is that adults need these reminders, too. Pressman notes that parents who practice these habits themselves—pausing before sharing an article, asking where information comes from, or admitting when something feels off—send a powerful message without ever giving a lecture.

The battle for attention

Pressman also highlights another challenge of parenting in the digital age: attention spans. Between social media, apps, and endless notifications, kids often feel pressure to be louder or more extreme just to get noticed.

“If you’re growing up in an environment where the people around you struggle to give you attention because there are all these distractions, it can bring up a need to call for attention, like to be louder about trying to get attention,” she says. Helping kids step back, focus, and engage more intentionally becomes just as important as teaching them how to fact-check.

Not all doom and gloom

Still, Pressman makes it clear that technology isn’t the enemy. There are upsides to social media and AI when they’re used mindfully. For teens who feel isolated, online communities can provide connection. AI, when approached with care, can be a useful learning tool. The key, she explains, is awareness—teaching kids to recognize when these tools are serving them and when they’re being pulled off track.

While parents may not be able to outsmart TikTok’s algorithm or keep up with every AI update, they can give their kids the tools to thrive in a digital-first world—one conversation at a time.