Wired Differently: Kids From Hard Places in a Digital Age

Rick, Chelsea Sobolik, and Herbie Newell sit down with Dr. Nicole Wilke, director of CAFO’s Center on Applied Research for Vulnerable Children and Families and author of Vulnerable Children in a Digital Age. Nicole grew up as a bio kid alongside 70 foster siblings, and when an adoptive mom asked her why so many kids from hard places were hooked on gaming, social media, and pornography, she found no research at all. So she and Dr. Mandy Howard did the first studies, which show that early adversity primes kids for problematic tech use and a downward spiral. The panel covers why impulsivity and attachment wounds make screens especially risky, why cold turkey backfires (Rick shares his own family’s experience bringing home a 14-year-old daughter from Ukraine with a phone), what AI may do to developing brains, and how to set clear expectations with grandparents and caregivers. Nicole grounds it all in Romans 12:2 and neuroplasticity: it is never too late to be transformed, and God has ordained these kids and these parents for this moment.