The largest toy manufacturer has just joined forces with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. Mattel and OpenAI have not disclosed exactly what they will be creating. Still, considering Mattel’s history with Hello Barbie, it’s a likely guess that it’s a generative AI conversational toy, such as Barbie or Thomas the Train.

Parents must think critically and biblically before allowing their children to engage with any AI, especially in toys.

Articles referenced: 

Barbie Gets ChatGPT: Why Parents Should Pay Attention

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TikTok has banned the popular hashtag #skinnytok from its platform due to being linked with “unhealthy weight loss content.” Does this mean TikTok cares about the content it hosts? Or is this just virtuous P.R. for them? Considering that similar hashtags are still popular, we can assume nothing has actually changed. Unrealistic beauty standards still pervade every corner of social media.

Teens who aren’t on social media platforms like TikTok are not exempt from the wildly influential dieting and restricted eating trends that saturate culture. While restricting your daughter’s access to such harmful content is important, there are other protective actions you can take that are often neglected.

Articles referenced:

TikTok Banned the “SkinnyTok” Hashtag. It’s Only a Matter of Time Until a New Insidious Diet Trend Replaces It

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Today, Kelly is joined by Nathan, a Brave Parenting ambassador, parent, and internet security expert, to discuss the video gaming app TruPlay. This app offers Christian video games that the company promotes will nurture your child’s faith and teach them biblical wisdom. Those are strong claims, so we spent weeks researching every aspect of the app, playing the games, and watching the videos. Kelly and Nathan unpack the great and the not-so-great aspects of TruPlay so that parents can wisely decide if this game is better than no game at all.

Be sure to check out the Brave Parenting Guide to TruPlay Christian Games on our website. The guide offers a more comprehensive overview of the app, complete with screenshots and images, to help parents make an informed decision.

TruPlay website

Brave Parenting Guide to TruPlay

Scripture referenced:

Matthew 5:44

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In this cultural update for Christian parents, Kelly examines the trend of Gen Z opting for dumb phones and embracing Blackberry phones. News outlets are reporting this but are teens and young adults actually getting tired of their iPhones and boldly embracing dumb phones? This sounds amazing….and totally too good to be true.

Articles referenced:

Gen Z is swapping their smartphones for this retro alternative: ‘Need a social media detox’

Scripture referenced:

Proverbs 14:12

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Today, we continue in our series of testimonies from those who have boldly decided to quit social media. Joining Kelly on the podcast is Lucy Staples. Lucy’s story is representative of many teens we have spoken to, whose parents restricted their social media use throughout most of high school. When Lucy was finally able to get Instagram and TikTok, she experienced what only wisdom and maturity can provide: doubt that it was good for her and regret for the time she’d already lost inside the apps.

Parents do not want to miss this conversation. It will motivate you to hold strong despite the pushback! No parent ever wished they had given their teen access to social media earlier in life, but many regret allowing too much, too soon.

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In this episode, Kelly talks with Pearson Segina, a 23-year-old student pastor who felt the conviction by God to not just stay off Instagram, but to delete his account altogether. The faith and obedience of this young man will so inspire parents!

Also in this episode:

Watch Pearson’s original sermon on “Radical Freedom.”

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Today, Kelly and Chelsea speak with Reagan Rose from Redeeming Productivity about what he has learned and, more importantly, what he has gained from quitting social media. As someone who leads an online ministry, it seems counterintuitive for him to quit. Still, his reflections after one year reveal the beauty of what is possible for anyone who commits to leaving the social media sites for good.

Check out Reagan’s original YouTube video reflecting on quitting social media and his theology of leisure.

Redeeming Productivity

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Today’s episode continues the review of Common Sense Media’s 2025 Consensus: Media Use by Kids 0-8. This week, we are reviewing the parents’ concerns regarding media use. Kelly unpacks the reasons given for allowing screen time at these young ages and how the concerns parents reported in the survey do not seem to match the allowances given.

This episode is so important as it highlights the deception so many parents of young kids are under. Parents of Gen Z must come alongside these younger parents and graciously warn them of the consequences of living a content-driven life.

Articles referenced:

Common Sense Media 2025 Consensus: Media Use by Kids 0 to 8

Book referenced:

Shepherding Your Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp

Scripture referenced:

Deuteronomy 6:7

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Today, we review Common Sense Media’s 2025 Consensus Report on Kids’ Media Use in ages 0-8 where they reveal that society’s youngest are consuming 2.5 hours of media every day. We talked about this briefly in Tablets Are Taking Over Toddlerhood, but in this podcast, Kelly reviews several of the report’s key findings and examines them through the lens of scripture and parental discipleship.

Articles referenced:

Common Sense Media 2025 Consensus: Media Use by Kids 0 to 8

Scripture referenced:

Matthew 11:28

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In this Brave Briefing, Kelly addresses the ever-present plea of kids to have their own phone to connect with friends. Is the only real option to give them a smartphone? We do not believe so and therefore present the simple and powerful alternative: The Home Smartphone.

Resources referenced:

Pinwheel Kid-Safe Phones

Articles referenced:

How Parenting and Self-Control Mediates the Link between Social Media and Youth Mental Health

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GET the Revised & Updated book Managing Media Creating Character