Digital Families

Excessive Screentime After Lockdown? Parental Control Tracking - Building Trust and Encouraging Free Play In this weeks "Digital Families" Podcast I speak with Sonia Livingstone a professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science, who is also the co-Author with Alicia Blum-Ross of the recently released book based on her research  "Parenting for a Digital Future: How Hopes and Fears About Technology Shape Children’s Lives". about parental controls, screentime vs free play and tracking. Recently there has been quite a bit of discussion about parental controls and apps that can track children. Now that our children are getting back to face to face and socialising, many parents are understandably using the available technology to track and surveil their kids online and offline behaviour. But when do parental controls and tracking become overbearing or an invasion of privacy, when should parents start to give the child more space and trust? Screentime vs Free Play Many of my clients are working with me on issues around winding back screentime and developing better habits around online devices. Some parents are reporting that their children seem to have lost the ability to entertain themselves off screens after so much screentime during Covid lockdowns. Sonia Livingstone and I discuss the issue of the importance of children having "Free Play" both on screens and off. How we can transition children from screens to healthy play that is so important for their development. Sonias Book Parenting For A Digital Future Is Available Here: www.sonialivingstone.net Find out more about Leonie Smith at www.thecybersafetylady.com.au

Josh Langley was told he would amount to nothing in life, having failed high school (twice) and being unemployed for several years, but that didn’t stop Josh from becoming a multi award-winning radio copywriter and award-winning children’s author.  Now his ground-breaking children’s books, programs and school talks on self-acceptance, resilience, understanding emotions and kindness, are helping thousands of kids make friends with themselves. In this latest episode of the Digital Families Podcast I talk with Author and public speaker Josh Langley about how digital technology can both hinder and help with children's development. Josh also talks about his love of books and how to get children away from the screens and back to books. Josh is a popular speaker at schools where he helps all children feel like they have a place in this world. He talks to them about "Being You is Enough" a book he wrote to his 8 year old self. It’s message of self-acceptance and love resonated with kids and parents around the world.  He went on to publish 9 books and in 2018 won the Australian Book Industry Awards Small Publishers’ Children’s Book of Year, for his second children’s book It’s Ok to Feel the Way You Do (Big Sky Publishing 2017). With social media impacting the well being of children as young as 8 years old, effecting their self image and contributing to feelings of anxiety and feeling "not enough" Josh and I got into the "weeds" of how to counteract many of the messages that children are getting today. https://joshlangley.com.au

Kelly Humphries is a survivor of child sexual abuse, a law enforcement officer, ambassador, author, and advocate. In this podcast Kelly and I talk about her remarkable journey from abuse through sporting achievements to the police force to being an award winning decorated advocate for children who are at risk of abuse and Author. Not being able to report her abuser until she was 19 years of age, Kelly is trying to inspire children to speak up and to protect themselves from the clutches and cunning of abusers. I talk with Kelly about how abusers groom children online, what language do they use. How they connect with children and what can parents do to help them children be more open with them about being contacted by abusers and finally how to prevent such contact or deal with it. Kelly is an inspiration for so many I hope this podcast gives all parents and carers some important insights on how we can help keep all our children safe from abuse both online and off. Kelly has written an inspirational book about her experience called "Unscathed Beauty" You can find out more about Kelly Humphries Here and buy her book here.

This weeks guest on "Digital Families" Podcast is Claire Eaton, a speaker, youth coach and author of four books for teens, “ROC and RISE” “You are awesome”, “Hello High School” and its companion Planner. In this weeks podcast we talk about Claires focus on helping children, particularly with the transition from primary to high school  with Resilience, Optimism, and Confidence. These are traits that we often hear about being necessary in our children, particularly when it comes to dealing with the online world. Whether its resilience to online bullying and misunderstandings, optimism, in regard to the way they choose what they take in online, not falling into a negative pessimistic algorithm on TikTok or Instagram. And confidence to make good choices and be self assured as they navigate their way through this world. Traits that might seem impossible in the covid, environmental hazardous world we live in. How do we help our children to develop these attitudes with all they are living through and exposed to online? Claire and I also talk about how overprotective parenting can lead to less resilience optimistic confident children and how we can help them turn it all around. I have a set of books to give away to one lucky listener that include "Roc And Rise" her book for teenagers to help them reach the Goals of ROC, "You Are Awesome" a collection of thoughts and memories celebrating YOU! for children to hear how others feel about them. "Hello High School" a helpful book for year 7 students that comes with a yearly Planner for the first year of school to help children sort out their thoughts during what can be a confusing adjustment to High School. Listen through the podcast to find out the code to quote in your contact with me, either via this website or a PM on my Facebook Page. www.facebook.com/thecybersafetylady Find out more about Claire Eaton and her fabulous books at https://www.claireeaton.com.au

Amy Jussel is the founder of Shaping Youth  and author of The Secret of the Vanishing Bones: Tracking the Data Trail. Her new book, aimed at students K-5, is designed to instill critical thinking about media through storytelling, developing early skills that help kids navigate their digital exposure in fun, fresh ways. Media literacy education is more critical than ever with increased screen time due to the recent global pandemic and wide-ranging messages displayed across social media and other media platforms. In todays podcast Amy and Leonie talk about how children need to learn about their digital footprint online. How they can reveal private information about themselves and their friends online and how to be careful about what they share. We also talk about the nuances of the internet and how children find it hard to unwrap behaviour online due to the 2 dimensional aspect of screens. Amy offers parents some tips on how to better educate their children about their digital footprints and how to navigate the internet with more awareness. This important beautifully illustrated book can be purchased online at Amazon or all good bookstores.

Claire is a passionate advocate for preventative measures in children’s mental health and digital wellbeing. In this episode Claire Orange and I discuss Tweens on social media and how her amazing app can help children get prepared for the real world of social media when they are ready. Good mental health is at the core of Claire Oranges motivation for developing Digii Social, she has seen and heard too many horrifying stories of children coming to harm on social media Claire Orange a clinical Psychologist has worked with children and their families in a variety of therapeutic roles and settings for 28 years. Most recently, she has co-written and published 16 award winning books on children’s mental health and has launched an EdTech startup called DiGii Social that is a world-first safe and educational children’s free social media platform to be used in schools for education. 

In this episode Paul Litherland and I talk about the very difficult issue of children being scammed via online game platforms where there is the risk for losing large amounts of money for families via the virtual currency available on games like Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft. For over a decade, as a former technology crime police officer and now under the banner of Surf Online Safe, Paul Litherland has dedicated himself to educating children, parents and teachers on the subject of Internet Awareness. As a parent himself, Paul adds that extra insight to his presentations as he is more that aware of the fear and apprehension parents have regarding the internet and the dangers that are out there. We also discuss "Sextortion" which is not just an issue for young people but people of all ages that fall into the trap of an online predator who blackmails them into sharing sexually explicit photos or video of themselves. It starts with an online friend requests and can end up with the victim at the mercy of an extortionist.

Jo Lamble is a Clinical Psychologist and along with her co Author Dr Ginni Mansberg they have written the ultimate handbook for parents on raising Tweens and Teens titled "The NEW Teen Age. In this Digital Families Podcast Jo Lamble and I chat about some of the issues that are covered in the book including Teenagers, sleep and devices, Sleepovers and mobile phone use - And using tracking apps/devices on your kids - Yes or No? What to do if you find out your child isn't where they are supposed to be? The book covers teen health issues, behaviour, and the influence of social media and gaming.  The NEW Teen Age is available from all good bookstores and online at Amazon and Booktopia. http://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/b3a7LP

My guest today is Bec Nguyen from Perths “Telethon Kids Institute” Project Manager of the “Beacon App” A cyber safety educational app designed to keep parents and carers up to date with trusted, tailored information, to help keep their kids safe online. An Australian developed one stop shop for Cyber Safety. Find out how it works in todays Podcast! The FREE Beacon App https://beacon.telethonkids.org.au/ Telethon Kids Institute https://www.telethonkids.org.au

My guest today is Melinda Tankard Reist, Melinda is an author, speaker, media commentator, and advocate for young people. She is best known for her work addressing sexualisation, objectification, harms of pornography, sexual exploitation, trafficking and violence against women. Melinda is author/editor of six books including Getting Real: Challenging the Sexualisation of Girls and Big Porn Inc: Exposing the harms of the global pornography industry . Melinda has appeared on ABC’s Q&A and The Gruen Sessions and many other TV and radio programs. Melinda is co-founder of the grassroots campaigning movement, Collective Shout: for a world free of sexploitation. http://www.collectiveshout.org In this podcast Melinda and I discuss the influence of porn on our young people. How porn is changing their culture and their understanding of their own sexuality. We also talk about the sexualisation of children via the clothing that is marketed to them and how social media is creating a generation of children who have unrealistic body image based on influencers and social media filters. See more about Melinda Tankard Reist Here https://melindatankardreist.com and here https://www.facebook.com/MelindaTankardReist/