Media Savvy Moms

Tell me if this sounds familiar? You love your kids, you love technology, but when they're together, you're terrified of both. Ok, terrified might be too strong a word. But, when you stop and think about it, there's just so much that can go wrong with kids and tech. Yet we live in a digital age. We're all on screens—for homework, entertainment, and everything in between. To survive emotionally, while raising kids in this media-saturated world, we gotta figure out how to untangle the tech, and fast!  In this episode, I speak with Andrea Davis. Andrea is the mom of five children, aged 17 and younger. She's also the founder of Better Screen Time, an incredible organization helping parents worry less about tech, and connect more with their kids. Today we're focusing on teens. For complete show notes, visit www.ParentsAware.info

With the ease of access to today's online pornography, it makes sense to have open, honest conversations with children from an early age. That's the ideal. But it's not often how it goes, right? In fact, you may have a teen already—and you're just starting to think about how to broach this sensitive topic. You're not alone. My guess is you want to know how to break the ice in a way that doesn't feel awkward. You want to know the art and science of talking to teens about pornography! In this episode, I speak with Gabe Deem, international speaker and creator of Reboot Nation—a free online recovery community that's helped thousands of individuals overcome problems related to compulsive porn use. Gabe takes a non-shaming, fact-based approach to this important conversation.  For complete show notes, visit www.ParentsAware.info

Imagine your child's little league team facing off against top NFL players. Ridiculous, right? A mismatch in every sense of the word. We would never allow it. It's dangerous. It's reckless. Our children would get hammered. They might never recover. Yet every day, children and teens enter an arena with just as many odds stacked against them. Unrestricted internet for kids is like asking Little League to compete against the Pros. I've got a sports analogy for you today. I'm using my son's experience of playing organized football for the first time to highlight the disadvantage children and young teens have as they try to navigate an internet that was not designed for their safety. But here's the thing. With the right coaching and practice routine, this is a game we can win!    For complete show notes, visit www.ParentsAware.info

Ever tried to distract a restless child in a grocery store, doctors' office, or while traveling? Portable screens can feel like a magical pacifying gift, right? But what if they become the norm? Are there long-term implications? Does excessive screen time affect child development? Or are we just letting the guilt and fear get the better of us? It seems that tech is here to stay. So let's discuss a savvy way to build safer screen habits with our little ones. In this episode, I speak with Penny Marenge, the creator of Screens n Kids, an online platform with a mission to preserve the Early Years. Penny comes to the conversation with a wealth of knowledge she's gathered as a mental health nurse practitioner and mother of two pre-school-age children.  For complete show notes, visit www.ParentsAware.info

Ever have trouble motivating your young teen to follow the family rules around tech and screens? Kids this age still need lots of love, guidance, and direction. Yet, they're naturally prone to push boundaries and gravitate toward peer influence. That can feel scary for us moms and dads. But following their peers is not ALWAYS a bad thing. Especially if we can get our youth to mentor each other in a positive way. Imagine! Middle-schoolers empowering middle schoolers to make safer media decisions. For complete show notes, visit www.ParentsAware.info

You try everything in your power to protect your kids from online pornography. Yet, you know it's probably not enough. You're swimming against a raging current. The content coming at kids is relentless. Exposure seems inevitable. At some point, we have to say enough! Governments across the globe must act. We need real legislation that can protect minors from the constant threat of exposure to pornography In this episode, I speak with Canadian Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne who has proposed new legislation with bill S-210 An Act to restrict young persons' online access to sexually explicit material. If passed, pornographic websites would be required to implement meaningful age verification processes or face significant fines.    For complete show notes, visit www.ParentsAware.info

Let's talk, trust and honesty. Thinking about all the things that could go wrong for kids is going to stir up some big worries. Yet, kids are online every day. Whether they're on a smartphone, tablet, gaming console, or school-issued laptop, we want to trust that they will be safe. That our child or teen will make smart decisions online. The best way to arrive at that trust is to model honesty in our own communication. For complete show notes, visit www.ParentsAware.info

What makes you most angry, upset, or frustrated about parenting in the digital age. Think about it and make a mental checklist. Next, shift your focus to what in this world is most worth protecting? Finally, imagine if the internet would protect children not porn? What if you could help?  In this episode, I talk with Helen Taylor the Vice President of Impact for Exodus Cry an organization committed to abolishing sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. Helen helps us understand the intersection between pornography and sex trafficking. As well, she shares a simple action we can take to make the internet a safer place, not just our children, but all children, everywhere. For complete show notes, visit ParentsAware.info

We often try to wait for the perfect moment or the right age to talk to our kids about pornography and other tricky topics. Then, in a blink, our kids have grown up. The perfect moment never arrived. What do we do then? Are we too late? Is it worth starting the conversation with an older teen?  Media Savvy Moms is a podcast by ParentsAware, an organization dedicated to helping parents talk to their children and teens about pornography and healthy sexuality. For complete show notes, click here. 

Ever made what you thought was a great resolution only to be defeated before you start? Yup, you and me both. So what do we do to build safer screen habits? How do we resolve to improve knowing full well we're going to face challenges, obstacles, and maybe even failures right at the outset? It comes down to establishing direction. Keep in mind that this is a journey. And every good journey requires a navigation tool. Something to move you in the right direction—like a compass or a map. Building safer screen habits isn't about passing or failing, winning or losing. It's about able to recenter when you get off track. It's about moving ever forward in the direction that you want to go. Media Savvy Moms is a podcast by ParentsAware, an organization dedicated to helping parents talk to their children and teens about pornography and healthy sexuality. For complete show notes, visit http://parentsaware.info/index.php/podcast/.