Online predators can pretend to be anyone, any age, anywhere. We need to educate and empower our children to stay safe on their devices and not become victims. Today's guest is Titania Jordan. Titania is the Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Parent Officer at Bark Technologies, an online safety company that helps keep kids safe online and in real life. Titania has contributed pieces to the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Huffington Post, Fox Business, Daily Mail, USA Today, Vogue, and more. Her first book Parenting in a Tech World was published in 2020 and quickly became a best seller on Amazon. She was also featured in the 2020 documentary Childhood 2.0. She frequently appears as a subject matter expert on nationally broadcast programs such as Today Show, Steve Harvey, CBS This Morning, Good Morning America, and many others.

Show Notes:

• [1:14] - Titania shares her background and why she was drawn to her field.
• [3:07] - In her history, Titania has many childhood traumas and wants to help protect others.
• [5:18] - Kids have access to everything that's good but also everything that is bad and parents did not have that experience in their own childhood.
• [7:41] - Kids are being exposed to everything more frequently and at a younger age than ever in history.
• [9:50] - Parents can feel helpless because there is a fine line between controlling what their children access online and giving them the freedom to use it.
• [11:37] - The frequency in which negative experiences online happen to children is much higher than you think.
• [13:09] - Be aware of how you model technology use and talk about "tricky" people.
• [15:07] - It can happen anywhere, not just in social media apps.
• [16:21] - Titania shares some of the issues that can arise depending on the age and abilities of a child.
• [17:29] - There are some apps that appear as something other than what they actually are.
• [19:34] - Predators can be seemingly upstanding and moral people and some can also be people you know personally.
• [21:39] - Kid slang changes all the time and could mean something you aren't aware of. They are designed to overcome algorithms.
• [23:21] - Titania created a Facebook group about parenting in a tech world.
• [24:25] - Titania lists some of the things Bark tracks to keep kids safer online.
• [25:50] - It's not about keeping technology away from your child, but to go on the journey with them.
• [27:40] - Titania explains some of the things she talks to her son about regarding privacy
• [30:17] - When it comes to sharing photos of your child on social media, consider the reason you are doing so and who can see it.
• [33:00] - Bark is a tool, but does not replace conversations and education.
• [35:47] - Titania shares some of the feedback from parents who have used Bark.
• [38:49] - Become familiar with parental controls on all the connected devices in your home.

Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review.

Links and Resources:

• Podcast Web Page
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• Bark.us
• Parenting in a Tech World Facebook Group
• Parenting in a Tech World by Titania Jordan