As parents, we spend a lot of time and energy ensuring that our kids are safe in their physical spaces. We put up safeguards around hour homes. We go to great lengths to live in a safe neighborhood and send our kids to a safe school.

But what about our kid’s digital spaces?

The threats for our children are as significant in cyberspace as they are in their physical space.

Catherine welcomes back Kristen Jenson, founder of Defend Young Minds, to discuss the threats our children face in cyberspace and how to protect them. Defend Young Minds creates powerful resources to protect children online.

Our culture says that our children deserve privacy online, but no child deserves to face these threats alone. We may think that our child is just upstairs playing a video game, but there are dangers in digital spaces. You wouldn’t drop your child off in Central Park and say, “Have fun! I’ll see you in a few hours…” And yet we often leave our kids vulnerable to dangerous influences from around the world when we hand them an unprotected, unmonitored device.

Some digital dangers that can ensnare kids include:

• Pornography
• Sexting
• Cyberbullying
• Sextortion
• Trafficking

Tackling all the technology surrounding our kids may seem like an insurmountable task, but while our kids may have more tech savvy, we have wisdom. And we must use it to protect our kids.

About the Guest: Kristen A. Jenson, MA is the founder of Defend Young Minds and #1 best-selling author of the Good Pictures Bad Pictures series of read-aloud books which have translations in 10 languages. She is also the executive producer of the Brain Defense: Digital Safety curriculum and the owner and CEO of Glen Cove Press, LLC.

RESCOURCES MENTIONED:

To enter the giveaway for a free set of Kristen’s books, SUBSCRIBE HERE.

Defend Young Minds: All Articles

Defend Young Minds: Tackle the Tech (section)

7 Essential Rules for New Tech to Safeguard Your ChildDo Kids Deserve Digital Privacy? 3 Myths Debunked for Smart ParentsBrain Defense: Digital Safety (curriculum)

Good Pictures, Bad Pictures Book Series

CPCW Episode 105: Social Media and Our Kids: What Every Parent Needs To Know

Defend Young Minds Website

How To Talk to Kids about Pornography (free guide)

My Kids Saw Porn, Now What (guide)

 

TECH RESOURCES:

Gryphon Parent Control Router

Canopy Filtering Software

The Ultimate Comparison of the Best Smartphones for Kids in 2023: Pinwheel, Gabb, Troomi, Bark and MMGuardian

 

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