It can be hard to hear your mum thinks the Earth is flat. But saving a loved one from conspiracy theories is possible

It was on their weekly video call that Kasey Edwards first noticed the flat Earth poster in her mother’s house.

The poster had quietly replaced an ordinary framed photo in the background. It struck Kasey as odd, but she believed it was harmless.

“Not all families agree on everything. And if Mum wanted to think that the Earth was flat, well then so be it,” she said.

A retired teacher, Kasey’s mother was an involved parent who called once a week, sometimes more, and tutored her granddaughters in maths over the phone.

Kasey let her mum talk about her theories and occasionally asked probing questions, but otherwise didn’t engage.

She didn’t know it at the time, but the flat Earth poster was the first sign her mother was drifting away from…