Family IT Guy Podcast

In this episode of the Family IT Guy Podcast, I sit down with Shawnna Hoffman, CEO of the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC), for a raw and deeply personal conversation about online exploitation, AI-enabled scams, human trafficking, and the growing risks facing kids and teens online.

Shawnna shares her journey from decades in Big Tech and AI leadership to leading a global organization focused on returning missing children to their families. She also opens up about her own family’s experience with a long-term online scam that targeted her autistic son, exposing how sophisticated, patient, and psychologically damaging modern online exploitation has become.

This episode covers:

• How online grooming and long-term scams target kids and young adults

• The role AI and social platforms play in exploitation and manipulation

• Why parental controls alone are not enough

• The reality of missing children and trafficking on a global scale

• How ICMEC measures success by one metric only: kids reunited with families

• The difference between facial detection and facial recognition

• Why digital safety requires community action, better safeguards, and real accountability

If you are a parent, caregiver, educator, or anyone concerned about child safety online, this conversation is essential listening.

🔒 Learn more about protecting kids online: https://familyitguy.com

🌍 Learn more about the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children: https://www.icmec.org

Earlier this year, I spoke with Jason Sokolowski about the loss of his 16-year-old daughter, Penelope, after she was targeted by the online criminal network known as 764.

This video is an update — and the situation is escalating.

764 is a decentralized exploitation network targeting vulnerable kids, primarily girls ages 10–17, across platforms like Discord, Roblox, TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. The FBI and DOJ are actively investigating, but reports are increasing, not slowing down.

In this video, I cover:

• What 764 is and how it operates

• Why it’s designed to turn victims into perpetrators

• Warning signs parents should never ignore

• Why monitoring alone is not enough

• What to do if your child may be targeted

If your child can receive messages from strangers online, they are at risk. This is information every parent needs to hear.

📌 If you suspect exploitation:

Report to the FBI at ic3.gov

Or call DHS Know2Protect: 833-591-5669

Please share this with other parents.

We all want our children to be safe online. That instinct is human and urgent.

Australia has banned social media for children under 16. Similar laws are spreading across the US, UK, and Europe. The momentum feels overwhelming. Who could oppose protecting children?

But before we build age verification into the internet itself, there is a question worth asking.

What are we actually trading?

To verify the age of children, everyone must be verified. Every adult. Every account. Every post. Online age verification links digital activity to government identity in permanent, searchable databases.

This is not like showing ID at a bar. Online verification does not end at access. It creates records.

In this video, I cover:

• Why age verification requires mass identity verification

• How surveillance systems always expand beyond their original purpose

• Why this does not solve the real harms facing kids online

• What history shows us about “temporary” safety measures

• What it means for a child to grow up inside this system

The harms to children online are real. But freedom has always had costs, and surveillance has consequences.

Before we build something permanent, we should understand what it becomes once it exists.

This is not an argument for doing nothing. It is an argument for responsibility, parenting, and skills over systems that cannot be rolled back.

I am sharing this so you can decide with open eyes before the trade off is made for all of us.

The internet is constant noise: endless scrolling, reacting and stimulation. It's rewiring our brains to consume information in tiny bursts and it's affecting everyone, including our kids.

So what's the antidote?

Stillness.

I've spent 30 years in cybersecurity and I help families navigate technology and online safety. One pattern shows up again and again. We can't teach our kids to manage digital chaos if we can't manage it ourselves.

Psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen teaches a simple 15-second breathing protocol.

Inhale for 4 seconds, hold, exhale for 8 seconds, hold again, then repeat several cycles. That longer exhale sends a signal to the body that things are safe and it's okay to calm down.

I looked for an app that uses this pattern without endless menus or decisions and couldn't find one. So I built one called Being - One Minute to Calm. When you open it, it starts immediately. No signups, no subscriptions, just breathing and stillness. It uses gentle haptic taps so you can follow the pattern with your eyes open or closed.

Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV. Android is coming soon.

Search "Being - One Minute to Calm" in the App Store or visit https://www.familyitguy.com/being/

Do you have any experience with meditation or breathwork? Share your story in the comments.

How can families protect children from dangerous predators - both online and in real life? In this eye-opening episode of the Family IT Guy Podcast, Dr. Leslie Dobson, forensic psychologist, dives into the psychology of violent offenders, including child predators, and reveals why consequences in the justice system often fall short.

Dr. Dobson shares real stories from her decades of experience working in prisons, state hospitals, and private practice, explaining how understanding the criminal mind can empower families to protect their children. She also discusses how social media can be a powerful tool for raising awareness and holding offenders accountable.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

- How offenders cycle through the criminal justice system

- The limitations and corruption in handling child predators

- The role of forensic psychology in protecting victims

- How families can use knowledge and advocacy to improve safety

- Practical insights for keeping kids safe online

📌 Subscribe for more on family safety, online protection, and tech.

👍 Like if you want to protect your family better

💬 Comment your thoughts or questions about child safety online

When smartphones started showing up in 1st grade, Meri knew something had to change. As a PR expert and mom who understood AI, algorithms, and why these devices are so addictive, she dove into the research—and then took action.

In this episode, we talk about how she:

1. Partnered with schools and clinical psychologists to educate kids AND parents

2. Helped implement Wait Until 8th in her community

3. Worked with school leadership on behavior impacts from devices and social media

4. Started a “Tech Corner” in school and church newsletters

5. Equipped parents with the data they needed to make informed choices

6. Built a like-minded community instead of fighting the battle alone

Her mission?

Arm parents with information so they can protect their kids’ brains—not just hope tech companies or the government will. Actionable steps for parents (we cover in detail):

• Alternatives to smartphones

• Parent email template you can send TODAY (email [email protected] for template)

• How to build a community of like-minded families:

– FITG Community: https://lnk.bio/s/84ae0

– @WaitUntil8th: https://lnk.bio/s/fd234

– TinCan Phone pods: https://lnk.bio/s/1074b

– Playdates with shared rules

– No-photo posting waivers at school

• How to confidently start conversations with other parents

Your kids’ safety isn’t up for grabs—and you don’t have to wait for someone else to draw the line.

Watch now and share with a parent who needs this!

Subscribe for more Family IT Guy episodes that help YOU navigate tech and parenting with confidence.

Join me as I explore the world of AI toys and share my thoughts on their impact on children. As a cybersecurity expert and parent, I delve into the potential risks and benefits of these innovative toys.

I discuss how AI toys work, the privacy concerns they raise, and why it's crucial for parents to stay informed. Let's ensure our kids' safety in this digital age. For more insights, visit https://www.familyitguy.com and follow me on social media. #aitoys #childsafety #FamilyITGuy

This is from my conversation with the Utopian Society Project on their South Bay Live show.

This is a complete Bark Phone review and setup guide from a cybersecurity expert and dad. After testing every feature, here's my take on what Bark does well, where it falls short, and the settings I recommend changing before giving this phone to your child.

THE SHORT VERSION: Bark Phone delivers on its claims. The parental controls actually work and kids can't bypass them. If my son needed a smartphone and I wanted to monitor his conversations for concerning behaviors, I would use a Bark phone.

📱 Full setup guide with screenshots:

https://www.familyitguy.com/bark-phone-review.html

🔗 Get Bark Phone: https://www.familyitguy.com/go/bark

📦 Accessories you'll need that are not included:

• USB-C Charger: https://amzn.to/4p42rB3

• Protective Case: https://amzn.to/3M7oqs2

DISCLOSURE: Bark sent me this phone for free to review. I have no contract with Bark and no agreement about the nature of this review. Links above are affiliate links - I earn a commission if you purchase through them, at no extra cost to you.

#BarkPhone #parentalcontrols #kidsphone #firstphone #onlinesafety