Digital Families

Parental Control Tracking - Building Trust and Encouraging Free Play

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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 .

Commonly known as the ‘queen of common sense’, Maggie Dent has become one of Australia's favourite parenting authors and educators. She has a particular interest in the early years, adolescence and resilience, and is an undisputed 'boy champion'.

Maggie is the author of seven major books, including the bestselling 2018 release Mothering Our Boys and her 2020 release From Boys to Men. She hosts the ABC podcast, Parental As Anything. Maggie is a dedicated advocate to quietly changing lives in our families and communities. She is the mother of four sons and a very grateful grandmother.

In this podcast Leonie and Maggie chat about raising our boys to be good men. We also talk about how boys are being too contained in our modern world they need more freedom and realistic learning environments that involve physicality. We also chat about boys and screens. If you have a son that seems as if he cannot leave his screen this is for you. What can you do if dragging your son away from that video game seems like pulling teeth. Will he ever find life away from his device?

We also discuss consent, porn and boys, what can we as parents do to ensure our boys not only understand consent but respect girls and women enough to really ensure they have consent?

If any of these issues mentioned have raised any concerns, you can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Kids Help Line - Parentline on 1300 1300 52

With Christmas almost upon us, many parents are looking into buying their little one a new smart toy, watch or device. 

But how do we choose a safe digital toy for our children, what do we need to consider with safety and in particular what about privacy? We know that Tech companies use our data to market to us, this includes where we live, how old we are, location data showing the trips we take each day, and generally where we go online. But children are supposed to be exempt from that data scraping aren’t they? Also how secure are these devices from hackers and spys or over reaching marketing companies?

In the age of digital misinformation and hoaxes being shared prolifically online we are now at a point that we are now having protests on the streets from folks who believe that Covid19 is a hoax and Bill Gates is going to insert a microchip in our veins through a Covid19 vaccination, and flat earthers seem to be gaining voice online.

In todays podcast I chat with Dr Diana Bossio Senior lecturer and researcher in Media and Communication at Swinburne University of Technology, about where these hoaxes and falsehoods come from, who's pushing them and why? How can we as ordinary users of the internet and social media discern the real from the fake?

In this weeks podcast Professor Steinberg and I discuss parental sharing of children's data online. This is often referred to as "Sharenting"

In todays era of the pandemic, its never been more important to keep in touch over the internet. But how much and how should we share whilst respecting our children rights to their own data, privacy and safety?

My guest this week on the Digital Families podcast is former detective Brett Lee who worked as a Queensland Police Officer for 22 years, 16 of which as a detective in the field of Child Exploitation. Brett has been personally involved with the interview, location, arrest and prosecution of hundreds of online criminals and predators.

In this podcast Brett advises parents how to help their child be protected from predatory behaviour online. He talks about the platforms that predators frequent, to groom children, like TikTok, Instagram, Omegle, and via online games like Roblox and Minecraft. 

Brett gives very practical advise to help parents educate their children on the safe use of the internet, and helps parents to recognise when their child maybe being groomed by an online predator. 

In today's Digital Families podcast I talk with Award Winning Journalist Author and Mentor Ginger Gorman about who these Trolls are, how to protect our families from this type of abuse, and why there is an escalation of online abuse and trolling during this time of Covid19

We also chat about why trolls want to hurt children by sharing frightening violent videos online targeted to children on YouTube and TikTok.

Are we in control of technology, or is technology controlling us?

This weeks podcast with Dr Kristy Goodwin we chat about Screentime, what do the experts mean when they say we need to focus more on content than on clock watching? What if your child seems to be on screens a LOT? 

What about toddlers advice for games or apps for younger children? 

Sleepovers and tech use. 

We also talk about Digital distractions, how all of us are effected by the digital distractions of our devices. Multi tasking isn't working...

Dr Kristy Goodwin was formerly a lecturer & Honorary Associate at Macquarie University at the Institute of Early Childhood and has lectured at Notre Dame University. She worked as a primary school and early childhood teacher for fourteen years in a range of educational settings in Australia and Asia.

In 2004 Kristy was awarded a NSW Quality Teaching Award and in 2007 was awarded an Australian Postgraduate Scholarship for her doctoral studies at Macquarie University where she completed a PhD on the impact of digital technologies on children’s learning.

Sexting & Cyber Bullying Reports Are Increasing,  What are we doing wrong?

My guest this week on "Digital Families" is Michelle Mitchell an expert on Teens and Tweens. I asked her to talk with me about this issue, and discuss why these abuses are escalating, and what we need to do to try and turn the digital tide.

With the rise of reports of these types of abuses comes also the rise in trauma which is of course exacerbated during this stressful time of Covid19 and all it entails.

Supporting our young people is key. Michelle outlines tips for parents on changing the messaging around online abuse and sexting.

More Here:

In todays podcast I chat with co-creaters of  "Our Kids Online" Porn, Predators & How To Keep Them Safe The Documentary Rob Cope and Zareen Sheikh-Cope.   Parents of four children between them, aged nine to fifteen they went looking for ways to keep their children safer online, and stumbled across some shocking discoveries, in particular, around children's exposure to online pornography and predators.

This video is one of the best examples of trying to help us understand the effects of porn on young minds. It's relatable and gives actual resources and help to parents. 

 "While researching the pros and cons of handheld devices of our kids, and how to keep them safe online, we stumbled upon the biggest un-had conversation of our time." - Zareen Sheikh-Cope  

In this podcast Dr Danielle Einstein, explains how the recent pandemic has impacted our children's mental health. We also talk about how the use of screens has effected young peoples social skills and learning in schools. Danielle explains how the design of devices gives us rewards that increase our reliance and can lead to possible addiction to screens. Danielle also advises what parents can do to help families get back on board with together time, off screen and back to having fun as a family. 

Dr Danielle Einstein is a Clinical Psychologist specialising in the treatment and prevention of anxiety, depression and OCD. Danielle was Head of the Anxiety Clinic at Westmead Hospital from 1996 to 2002, and has run her own private practice since 2003. She has edited a text book on CBT, taught ACT to masters students at Macquarie University, and worked as a postdoctoral fellow. https://www.danielleeinstein.com

Danielle leads research with schools across Australia to evaluate the impact of the programs on wellbeing. The latest program is being run in Australia, Hong Kong and the UK to educate the community on the psychological factors which undermine mental health in the wake of COVID 19. One student at the Kings school has commented on how useful these learning’s are and how he uses the tools within the program to stop worrying and calm himself both during the school day and at night when he goes to sleep.

My guest today is Nan Bosler. Nan Bosler AM is an Australian community activist and advocate for young people, the elderly and people with disabilities. She is an author and most notable internationally, for her involvement with computer clubs and digital skills for older people. Along with many other awards she has received over the years, in 2019 Nan was awarded an (AM) of the Order of Australia for significant service to seniors and to the community. 

Liz Walker is an sexuality educator, speaker and author. 

Liz provides schools and community education as Managing Director of Youth Wellbeing Project, facilitates parent education in her role as Director of Health Education at Culture Reframed, and has also collaborated with progressing Age Verification to protect children from porn in Australia.

My guest today is Martine Oglethorpe from "The Modern Parent". Martine is a mother to five boys with a background in secondary education and a Masters in Counselling. Through her personal and professional work with families raising children, she recognises the important role technology plays in the lives of young people today and thus the role we can play in not only their safety but their social and emotional wellbeing.

In todays podcast Martine and I talked about what parents can do when they feel overwhelmed by screen time and tech in their home. If you have a child that throws a wobbly every time you try to get them to do something else other than using a screen, Martine has some very helpful tips. Martine and I also talk about how to develop positive relationships with the screens in your home, particularly during this intense time. 

In todays Vodcast/podcast Tricia Munn from "Eyes Open Social Media Safety" and I chat about how to keep your children safe from online predators, how "sharenting" where parents share news and photos about their children online can be done with more consideration to safety. Why is it that social media safety advocates keep banging on about protecting your child's personal information and even photos online? We talk about why learning about the privacy settings on platforms are so important, and what can happen if you don't set those settings to most secure. Live streaming is the BIG issue of the moment according to Trish, and we talk about how you as a parent can be more aware of what your child is doing online, especially now with Covid19 and the difficulties with us all being online more often. 

Kayelene Kerr draws on over 23 years’ experience of study and law enforcement investigating sexual crimes, including technology facilitated crimes, to deliver quality, sought after education programs. Kayelene is recognised as one of Western Australia’s most experienced specialist providers of Cyber Safety, Digital Wellness and Pornography education workshops.

In this Podcast Kayelene Kerr and I chat about how parents can identify when their child might be upset about something online, how to help your child open up about anything that bothers them online. We chat about how children might learn about balancing their time on screens, and how they might filter what they see online to protect their mental health during this pandemic, where they are possibly exposed to some very frightening imagery. We also talk about how parents can be part of their Childs online world in fun ways! Some great tips and advice here from Kaylene.

New Contact Details as of 02/10/2020

Jordan Forster is a Clinical Psychologist from Perth Australia and the founder of ySafe, a now nationally-adopted household name in the field of cyber safety. 

Jordan has extensive clinical expertise in working with children and adolescents managing problematic technology use, including cyber bullying, image-based abuse and compulsive gaming. 

During this chat we talk about what parents can do to create a safe place for children to report anything that they might find upsetting or challenging online. We talk about how to decide on safe apps for kids and much more and what to do if if your child does see something awful online!

Holly ann Martin along with her husband Roger run The Safe4Kids Child Abuse Prevention Education Program. For this podcast/vodcast I chat to Holly ann, about ways parents can talk to their children about the icky subjects like strangers, seeing upsetting content like pornography online and body protection. We also talk about the signs to teach our children to look out for, for "tricky" strangers online. 

Holly takes us through some great easy ways for children to build a safe network around themselves and demonstrates how she teaches children to use find a trusted support group to help them when they need it wherever they are. She also talks about how to encourage children to come to us when they are afraid of something, or have made a mistake and they need us. Safe disclosure. 

In this episode Michelle Mitchell and I chat about wellbeing in the era of Covid19. Teens and Tweens are being exposed to scary content online, parents new responsibilities in the home with caring for children, particularly with home distance learning and soon with holidays and bored kids stuck inside.