Left To Their Own Devices, nominated for Peabody Award

AI and Democracy

Apr 10

April 7, 2026 - From the Toronto Star

Left To Their Own Devices is a finalist for a prestigious Peabody Award, one of the highest international honours in journalism.

Hosted by Centre Youth Fellow, Ava Smithing, Left To Their Own Devices is a 10-part investigative podcast that explores the profound impact of social media and technology on youth. The Star partnered with Paradigms and the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy at McGill University on the series which investigates how social media algorithms fuel obsessive use and addiction, push children toward self-harm, dieting content and violent pornography at younger ages.

The Star podcast received the Peabody Award nomination by unanimous vote from its Board of Jurors. The awards were originally created as the radio industry’s equivalent of the Pulitzer Prizes, then expanded to broadcast television and, eventually, digital media. The final winners from all categories of the Peabody Award will be announced on April 23 and the 86th annual Peabody Awards ceremony will honour the nominees and winners in Los Angeles on May 31.