For undisclosed reasons (I wish I could say I was training for a triathlon or something impressive like that) my podcasting in 2025 was rather sparse. However, I’m back and really excited to announce that I’ve launched a new series, “15 Minutes.” The episodes are being released twice a week and are faith-based. The podcast is available on all popular platforms, including a video version on Facebook. Just search for Brian Sussman Show, and tell a friend!
Faith
Social Media’s Aggressive Dark Side: trying to kidnap your child
Note: The following article was published in the Buffalo Gap News Roundup (https://buffalogapnews.com). I highly encourage you to go online and subscribe to this brilliant monthly newspaper, dedicated to “serve the conservative (once silent) majority in America.”
I recently drove by a well-manicured city park on a lovely day and saw a dozen young
teenagers sitting adjacent one another indicating they were friends. However, each of those kids
may as well have been inside a dingy storage shed. All were oblivious to one another, glued to
their phones with empty stares and mouths agape. 15-years ago these same kids would have
worn smiles while talking, teasing, joking, laughing and ready to take on the nearby swings and
jungle gym.
But unlike past younger generations, the kids today are consumed with their social media
apps. We’ve gone from a witnessing a play-based childhood to one that is phone-based. These
apps are purposely habit-forming and are dumbing down the next generation.First some history.
Apple launched their app store in July 2008, making 500 apps available. Google followed several months later. Within five years each store offered over 1 million apps. By the 2010s our phones had transformed from Swiss Army utility knives to slick
platforms where app companies competed to see who could hold on to users the longest, thus
feeding them more and more ads. The new smartphones even came with front facing cameras so
one could take photos and videos of themselves to quickly post on social media apps in order to
gain “friends” and “likes.” By 2015, 70% of teens owned a smartphone; that number is over 80%
today.
But all this came with a steep price. According to Common Sense Media, half the kids 11
to 17 receive at least 237 notifications from their apps every day. A study by the journal
Pediatrics, determined that children who have smartphones by age 12 are at increased risk for
depression, obesity and sleep deprivation.
I know some of you are thinking: “I don’t have to worry about my little Jimmy and Jane.
They’re goods kids, plus those really bad apps have age limits.”
I’m sure they are great kids, but the game these tech firms are playing are infecting the
great kids too. Oh, and as for the age limits on the nasty sites? They are easily defied simply by
lying about your age.
Here’s what’s happening to Jimmy and Jane. Their favorite apps are likely YouTube,
TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. According to Pew Research most kids admit they’re
on these sites almost constantly, including at school (only 25 states have enacted complete bans
on smartphones during school hours). These apps purposely lure users in with an external trigger,
like a notification that someone commented on one of their posts. Their attention is quickly
drawn from whatever they were doing (for example homework) as they eagerly go to their post
hoping they will be rewarded with a good feeling. However, the pleasurable reward they crave is,
by design, only received about fraction of the time. This is known in the app industry as a
“variable reward,” and it keeps users coming back for more. Later, when Jimmy or Jane finally
get the response they hoped for, their brain is hit with a rush of dopamine, they feel fantastic and
want more.
This is classic psychological behaviorism.
That’s why these apps want more comments, photos and friends. These elements provide
additional ways to entice users and keep them on the app. Eventually, it gets to the point where
Jimmy and Jane no longer need notifications to check their social media accounts because the
apps are always open and they’re thinking, “I wonder who has liked my post from ten minutes
ago?” They soon turn away from homework—or any task or responsibility—to see how people
are responding. Before too long they’ve spent an hour looking at their feed, their homework is
far from being finished, and its bedtime.
But there is a bigger problem. What happens when no one cares about that post or when
people dislike or make fun of it? For many there is disappointment, offense, and even anger.
Some find themselves dangerously depressed.
But the social media outlets don’t care, because they know Jimmy and Jane will be
coming back for more and that means further opportunities to force feed commercial brands and
ads into their minds.
Recently I saw a TV ad depicting a young woman who was moving into a new residence.
She happily shared her priority list: “Internet, then water and power.”
Internet first?
The world is turning upside down. The next generation of adults is addicted to social
media.
For more information, I highly recommend an excellent book: The Anxious Generation by
Jonathan Haidt. In next month’s edition of The Buffalo Gap, I will share recommendations for
establishing healthy social media guidelines for Jimmy and Jane.
The Charlie Kirk Effect: Why He Was So Amazingly Influential
A tsunami wave of young Americans, from teenagers to those in their early forties, are feeling the effects of Charlie Kirk’s bold adherence and proclamation of truth, both political and spiritual. Many are referring to this as, “the Charlie Kirk effect.”
The initial surge began within minutes of Kirk’s assassination on September 10. I personally received a phone call from one of my sons who was in literal tears as he spoke of the tragic news. He was an avid follower of Charlie on social media and told me Kirk’s murder caused him to realize he needed to “get off the fence” with his own personal Christian faith. A multitude of news reports confirm my son was certainly not alone in that conviction as millions of younger Americans have been inspired to take their faith in Jesus as Lord much more seriously and personally—as Charlie did. Churches that openly promote traditional, conservative values have seen spikes in attendance. This is occurring as liberal congregations have been experiencing just the opposite. A recent report from The National Council of Churches states mainline Protestant denominations (who tend to lean liberal) are experiencing thousands of churches closing their doors this year for lack of attendance.
In Irvine, California, a 20-year-old student named Bryce Bohorquez shared a video of the overflowing parking lots surrounding Oceans Church, where he is a member. “Charlie Kirk, look what you did,” he says. “No parking. Everyone wants to come now. Amen!” Bohorquez’ post has been viewed by millions.
It’s also been encouraging to see and hear of so many teens and twenty-somethings openly articulating conservative political values following Kirk’s death, not just online, but in verbal conversations with their peers.
But the Kirk effect is not just an American phenomenon. I have Christian friends in Nigeria who tell me videos of Charlie defending the faith have gone viral in their country. Prior to Kirk’s death my friends had never heard of him before. This is particularly notable given that radical Islam is at war with Christianity in Nigeria.
Charlie Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 at the age of eighteen, soon building the organization into a nationwide campus powerhouse for conservative ideas with over 2,000 chapters nationwide. In 2021, he created TPUSA Faith to, as he often stated, “Eliminate wokeism from the American pulpit.” In the weeks following his assassination, thousands more chapters are now in the works.
Why was Charlie Kirk’s message so effectively impactful? I’ll provide three examples.
He eagerly engaged with his opponents. This was one of Kirk’s great qualities. Without angst, he would invite people to prove him wrong. He honored such individuals by listening to them and not bashing them.
He was unashamed of the Gospel. Charlie left no doubts regarding being a follower of Jesus. When I first interviewed him on my San Francisco radio program in 2017 he was all politics, but in successive years I witnessed his faith become the centerpiece of his messaging. His example influenced many to become more outspoken in their spiritual convictions.
Kirk placed a high value on dialogue with influencers he did not always agree with. Charlie wisely possessed the courage to interact with political and other high-level influencers who did not always demonstrate Christian, or even strictly conservative, values. By not distancing himself from such people, whether Republican or Democrat, he wielded a positive influence on them.
Let’s pause and learn from Charlie’s example, as we all do our part to sincerely make America great again.
Focus on the Family Founder, Dr. James Dobson, dies at 89
In large measure, Susie and I owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Dobson for the many ways in which he equipped us to not just raise our four children, but to share his teachings and philosophies with hundreds of others.
Back in the day we’d literally rent a projector so we could invite people to our house to watch his parenting films.
I would also add that Focus on the Family played a significant role in us adopting our sons as well.
We were blessed to have the personal opportunity to share these sentiments with Dr Dobson, in his private study in Colorado, some years ago. It was a tremendous honor to spend time with him.
Dobson’s legacy are the countless people and families he touched. Thank God that includes mine.
Faith of Our Founders
The following is an excerpt from my book, “Eco-Tyranny: How the Left’s Green Agenda Will Dismantle America” (2012, WND Books). I’ve also shared this story in Episode 40 of my Brian Sussman Show Podcast (July 4, 2019).
Francis Lewis was born in Wales in 1713. He was orphaned at the age of five and raised by relatives. After a college education in London, he became a business apprentice and earnestly saved his money. At the age of 21, he set sail for New York where he established an importing business.
In 1756, during the French and Indian War, Lewis was a special aid to the British forces, supplying them with uniforms and other critical supplies. He was on business at Fort Oswego, when a bloody battle broke out against the French aggressors. Lewis was taken prisoner and sent to France aboard a ship, cruelly housed in a wooden box. Upon his release at the close of the war, Lewis was rewarded for his service to the crown with 5,000 acres of land in New York.
Again, while one might think that such a man would be forever loyal to Great Britain, such was not the case for Lewis. He saw how the edicts from England were strangling freedom in the colonies, and, according to Lossing, Lewis held dearly to “his republican views.”
Lewis’ wife Elizabeth was also a devout patriot and fervently supported her husband when he was elected a delegate to the General Congress in 1775 and signed the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia the following year. Once the Declaration was signed, the British placed a price upon the head of Francis Lewis. Before he was able to reach his home on Long Island, ground troops and a warship were sent to seize his wife and destroy his property. Elizabeth watched from a balcony as a cannon ball crashed into a wall immediately next to her. Immediately a servant shouted, “Run, Mistress, run!”[1]
Mrs. Lewis calmly replied, “Another shot is not likely to strike the same spot,” and she did not budge.
The soldiers soon entered the home and destroyed all books, papers, and ruthlessly pillaged the entire property. Elizabeth Lewis was taken to New York and thrown into prison. She was not allowed a bed or a change of clothing, and given little to eat. A former family African servant discovered her location and was able to smuggle some small articles of clothing and some food to her. He also reported her whereabouts and condition to Congress. Demands were made for her better treatment, but the British were determined to make an example of Mrs. Lewis’ prominence and wealth.
Finally, General Washington was able to broker a prisoner exchange, and Elizabeth was able to join her husband in Philadelphia. However, it was plain to everyone that because of her mistreatment, she was broken in health and was slowly sinking into the grave. Francis Lewis soon asked for a leave of absence from Congress to devote his whole time to his wife. She died in 1779.
Grief-stricken, Lewis retired from Congress to live with his sons. This great patriot died in 1802 at the age of 89 in New York City. He was buried in an unmarked grave in the yard of Trinity Church.