This episode may send chills down your spine, as Detective Jeffrey Fichtemaier and Corporal Alan Wilkett from the Pasco County Sheriff's Office describe the apps and other technology tools that child predators use to identify, groom and exploit children. We also discuss ways that parents can keep their kids safe from this new breed of child predators targeting children online.

For more information, please visit the following links:

Pasco County Sheriff's Office lists the apps used by child predators: https://www.facebook.com/pascosheriff/photos/a.204821599556058/2568870213151173/?type=3

News article discussing apps used by cyber predators: https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/florida-sheriff-warns-parents-about-more-apps-following-arrest-of-23-suspected-child-predators

Another article from Jacksonville discussing child abduction facilitated by apps: https://www.jacksonville.com/news/20191016/after-10-year-old-is-raped-sheriff-warns-parents-about-15-apps-used-to-lure-kids

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: http://www.missingkids.com/ 
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This episode features my interview with Dr. Andrew Sauer, who is a pediatric emergency physician, and also an attorney at my law firm, Smith Hulsey & Busey.   Dr. Sauer talks  about the medical evidence demonstrating that too much screen time can be harmful to your child. We also discuss the actions parents can take to prevent their children from being harmed by too much screen time.

Below are links to some of the resources Dr. Sauer discussed:

How to Make a Family Media Use Plan (American Academy of Pediatrics)
https://healthychildren.org/English/family-life/Media/Pages/How-to-Make-a-Family-Media-Use-Plan.aspx

“Media and Young Minds”
 https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/138/5/e20162591

Media and Young Minds – American Academy of Pediatrics Announces New Recommendations for Children’s Media Use
https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/Pages/American-Academy-of-Pediatrics-Announces-New-Recommendations-for-Childrens-Media-Use.aspx

 Media Use in School-Aged Children and Adolescents – Children and Adolescents and Digital Media
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/early/2016/10/19/peds.2016-2592.full.pdf

“MRIs show screen time linked to lower brain development in preschoolers”
https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/04/health/screen-time-lower-brain-development-preschoolers-wellness/index.html

“Children and Media Trips from the American Academy of Pediatrics”
https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/news-features-and-safety-tips/Pages/Children-and-Media-Tips.aspx

“Children and Adolescents and Digital Media” (Technical Report)
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/138/5/e20162593.full

“Association Between Screen Media Use and Academic Performance Among Children and Adolescents”
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2751330

“Associations Between Screen-Based Media Use and Brain White Matter Integrity in Preschool-Aged Children”
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2754101

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In this episode, Suzanne Clark discusses two apps that she uses to limit screen time and monitor her kids' digital activity.

Unglue:

Unglue allows parents to easily limit the amount of screen time their kids are spending each day.  For more information on this tool, visit: https://www.unglue.com/how_it_works/

Bark:

Bark was founded by a parent looking for a way to help keep his kids safe online while preserving their privacy. When he discovered that no such tool existed, he created one himself.  Bark's dashboard proactively monitors text messages, YouTube, emails, and 24 different social networks for potential safety concerns, so busy parents can save time and gain peace of mind. For more information on this tool, visit: https://www.bark.us/#video

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What happens to your social media accounts when you die?  Attorney Thomas Heekin discusses practical solutions for parents that want to pass along access to their social media accounts, online photo albums and other digital assets to their kids (or other friends or family) after death.

Below are a few related links:

How to appoint a Facebook heir:  https://www.pocket-lint.com/apps/news/facebook/134723-how-to-appoint-an-heir-on-facebook-for-when-you-die

Florida Bar Article: "Access to Digital Assets – Florida’s New Law for Fiduciaries: What Are Digital Assets and Why Are They Relevant?"  https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-journal/access-to-digital-assets-floridas-new-law-for-fiduciaries-what-are-digital-assets-and-why-are-they-relevant/

TEDxWhiteCity: "What Happens To Our Digital Remains When We Die" https://youtu.be/vFPkEIGUofc

As the eSports industry grows, the risk of harm to children also increases. What are the threats and how can those threats be addressed by parents, teams, and other stakeholders? In this episode, sports lawyer Richard Bush and I discuss child protection in eSports, including the potential harms to children and the steps parents can take to protect their kids from the dangers that eSports presents. 

For more information, visit the eSports Integrity Coalition's Child Protection page at https://www.esportsintegrity.com/home/child-protection/.  

What is Apple Screen Time and how can parents use Screen Time to keep their kids safe from cyber threats?

IT and application security expert (and parent) James Jardine discusses how to use Apple's Screen Time settings on iPhones and iPads to control the amount of time that parents and their kids spend on mobile devices.  James also describes how Screen Time allows parents to set daily time limits for certain types of apps, and provides an easy way for parents to set content and privacy restrictions on their own devices, as well as separate devices that their kids use.  

For James' chart with a complete listing of all of the Apple Screen Time settings, please click on the following link:  https://www.developsec.com/images/iOS_Screen_Time.png

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Are free kids' mobile apps a privacy risk?  Josh Harris talks about privacy risks in Sonic Dash, Fruit Ninja, Roblox, Angry Birds and other free kids' mobile apps. 

Josh's company, Rubica, recently published a report entitled "Cyber Crime and Privacy Risks in Free Mobile Apps for Kids." Click HERE to download a copy of the report.  

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My guest on this episode is Regine Bonneau, Founder and CEO of RB Advisory, who is an expert in cybersecurity, risk management and compliance. We discuss the biggest cyber-threats to kids, consider warning signs for detecting cyberbullying, and also reflect on why "Don't speak to strangers" remains good advice, even in this increasingly technology-driven age of computers and social media.  

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Our guest Nick Herbert created the RespondASAP app to help parents that have kids (or other family members) that don't respond to their text messages or calls. Nick discusses why he created the app, how it works, how to install it and some of the successes and challenges he had since initially developing the app.

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In this first episode, I describe my background and explain the purpose of the PG Podcast.  I also provide some examples of what listeners can expect in future episodes.  

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