Richard Freed
- Psychologist and Author
- Leading expert on how tech companies use persuasive design in social media and games that impact children's health
Travels From
California
Richard Freed Speaker Biography
Dr. Richard Freed is a child and adolescent psychologist, author, and advocate based in Walnut Creek, California. In his clinical practice, he has witnessed firsthand the alarming impact of screen addiction on children's mental health and development. Driven by these experiences, Dr. Freed has devoted his career to exposing how the tech industry exploits psychological principles to hook young users, turning tools meant for connection and creativity into powerful sources of dependency.
His work highlights the dangerous use of persuasive design—a little-known psychological science embedded in social media platforms, video games, and streaming content. Far from being benign, these technologies are carefully engineered by Silicon Valley to manipulate young minds, hijacking attention and eroding real-world connections essential for healthy development.
In his latest book, Better Than Real Life: The Secret Science Addicting Kids to Screens—and How to Save Childhood, Dr. Freed pulls back the curtain on this hidden influence. He empowers parents, educators, and policymakers with practical strategies to reclaim childhood and restore balance. Through writing, public speaking, and clinical work, Dr. Freed is a leading voice in the movement to protect kids from the psychological harms of screen overuse and to promote healthier, more grounded lives for the next.
The Secret Silicon Valley Science Stealing Childhood
My just-released book Better Than Real Life unveils how Silicon Valley’s hidden science of persuasive design is pulling a generation of kids away from the real world to live on social media, video games, and online video. The science is so powerful that it is able to persuade youth, at a genetic level, that sitting sedentary on playtime screens is better than running and playing, better than engaging with school, better than spending time with family. Kids suffer physically, emotionally, and academically as a result. Better Than Real Life reveals how we can provide our kids the healthy childhood they need—in the real world.
