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  • Picking up teens from pro-social activities is modern day dilemma for most suburban parents. Uber and Lyft has become the go to option for parents that prioritize their conference call over picking up their teenagers from practice. Uber was even aware of this trend by launching Uber Teen in 2017. Fortunately, they came to their senses and shut down the website due to safety reasons.

    Parents always ask if Uber is safe for their teen. The answer to the question is NO!! On this episode of the digital parent podcast I discuss why you should never use Uber or Lyft to transport your child.

  • According to the latest Pew Research study, almost 60% of teenagers have experienced some form of cyberbullying. Teens report being harassed online is a significant problem for their age group. The most alarming statistics from the study is the lack of empathy from black parents on the subject of bullying. Based upon data whites and hispanics are more inclined to worry about their child being bullied.

    On reason black parents may not be paying attention to the issue is due to how bullying behavior is normalized within the black community. On this episode of the Digital Parent Podcast I will discuss the top 3 forms of bullying that is unique to black students.

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  • School bullying and cyberbullying are often covered by the media but very little attention is given to workplace bullying. According to the Workplace Bullying Institute, workplace bullying is the harmful mistreatment of one or more persons by one or more perpetrators. It is an abusive conduct defined by threatening, humiliating, intimidating, sabotage, or verbal abuse. At least 75% of workers are impacted by workplace bullying based upon research.

    In our anti bullying series for National Bullying Awareness Month, we invited Dr. Mildred Peyton on the Digital Parent Podcastto discuss how workplace bullying impacts teenagers. Most teens are the youngest on their job making them susceptible to workplace bullying. Teens are also seeing higher instances of sexual harassment on their first jobs.

    Dr. Peyton is an expert on school bullying with two new children booksdedicated to the subject. In 2015, she wrote her dissertation on exploring the Meaning of School Bullying Among Parent of Victimized Children. On this episode of the Digital Parent Podcast, we discuss some of the following topics:

    Questions I asked Dr. Peyton about Workplace Bullying: What is The Definition of Workplace Bullying? Please Give Examples of Different Forms of Workplace Bullying? How Can Teens Stand Up to Sexual Harassment on The Job? What Are Some Tips to Prepare Our Children for The Workplace? What You Will Learn on This Episode: How to Report Workplace Bullying Ways to Prevent Workplace Bullying How to Advocate For Your Child's Workplace Rights
  • In order to raise awareness of cyberbullying and bullying, every October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Although bullying and cyberbullying awareness is high, there is still more work to be done. According to a recent study from Pew Research, almost 60% of teens have experienced some form of cyberbullying.

    In order to provide solutions, we reached out to our friends at the Cyberbullying Research Center to acquire their top 10 solutions to cyberbullying. On this episode of the Digital Parent Podcast we discussed these top 10 tips.

  • Schools across America are back in full swing . Students are returning back to school from a device heavy summer trying to readjust to a school routine which does not consist of an entire day consuming Playstation 4 games and Youtube content. Parents now have the challenging task of weening youth off their devices. Youth are now more addicted to their devices than candy.

    Research studies show the impact of screen time on the health of our youth. A new studyindicate the risk of increase screen time with depression and suicidal ideation. Recently, researchers have also found a link between childhood obesityand increase screen time. According to the study, youth increase their eating while watching media content. They become lost within apps while not monitoring their food intake.

    In order to get control of screen time, we brought in our partners from Comcast to update us on the xFI parent control software. Since we last discussed xFI on the digital parent podcast, millions of parents have downloadedthe app to pause the internet.

    Patti Loyack, Vice President of IP Services at Comcast, joined the show to discuss some of the newest xFI features that totally gives parents controls over the internet. Here are some of the topics Patti and I covered on this episode.

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  • On this episode of the Digital Parent Podcast I review Huffington Post Article that breaks down the top 5 dangerous apps. The article features myself and internet safety expert and former guess Wayne Denner. We discuss some high profile dangerous apps and some low key under the radar apps. The thing that I love about the article is that Ann Brenoff discusses how parents have petitioned app stores to remove apps which highlights the power the community has to protect their kids from predators.

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  • The 2004 American teen comedy Mean Girls was a large commercial hit and a cult phenomenon that described teenage cultural cliques that damaged teen's self esteem. Mean Girls was all about high school subcultures. Fast forward to now and the mean girl phenomenon is happening at a much earlier age.

    Social media has provided a space for girls to communicate with each other in elementary school. "Mean Girls" have become the poster child for bullying and cyberbullying. This level of aggression is causing significant harm among young girls. According to a new study from the Journal of Medicine, girls and young women between the ages of 10-24 are engaging in self harm from bullying at an alarming rate.

    Although we have covered the topic of bullying on past episodes on the Digital Parent Podcast, on this episode we want to take a deep look at Mean Girls. Our guest Katie Hurley is a LCSW, parenting expert, and author of the new book No More Mean Girls: The Secret to Raising Strong,Confident, and Compassionate Girls.

    No More Mean Girls provides parents with the necessary tools to help girls become more kind and compassionate towards others.

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  • Over 93% of 6-12 year olds in the United States have access to smartphones and tablets. More than 66% of those 6-12 year olds have their own devices and according to the same Common Sense Media survey 3 out of 5 parents allow access to social media sites. This data has led to Facebook on this past Monday to release Facebook Messenger Kids.

    Messenger Kids is a new chat app for 6 to 12 year olds that is currently only downloadable for iOS devices. Messenger kids offer video and text chat, cool filters, colorful GIFs, creative masks, and a collection of other shinny features. Facebook has waged war on Snapchat for the young generation of digital citizens that are key to their survival.

    On this episode of the Digital Parent Podcast, I break down the Top 3 Reasos to Love and Hate Facebook Messenger Kids.

  • Black Friday is only hours away and most Americans will be participating this year with a strong economy. According to an annual survey by the the National Retail Federation and Proper Insights & Analytics, an estimated 164 million people planned to shop during Thanksgiving weekend. That number includes Cyber Monday, when almost half of online shoppers are estimated to participate in holiday spending.

    Unfortunately, Black Friday is Christmas for online scammers and hackers. There will be a variety of ways criminals will try to steal social security numbers and hack bank accounts. The Better Business Bureau put out a list of helpful tips. On this episode of the Digital Parent Podcast, I will discuss the top 5 Black Friday Scams and my top 3 solutions to those scams.

  • Shame is defined as a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcoming, or impropriety. In the online world shaming has become a huge problem for adults and teens. According to a recent Pew Survey, 1 in 4 adults have experience online harassment.

    The White House and others have made it cool to shame and ridicule others online. For some parents online shaming has become a parenting tool to discipline teens for bad behavior. Although we have covered the topic of cyberbullying on numerous occasions on the Digital Parent Podcast, we wanted to cover the complex topic of online shaming on this episode.

    In order to give this topic it's proper due, we invited my friend and online shaming expert Sue Scheff to discuss online shaming and her new book Shame Nation that is flying off the shelves at Barnes and Noble. Sue Scheff is a nationally recognized author, Parent Advocate, and Family Internet Safety Expert. She has been featured on 20/20, The Rachel Ray Show, ABC News, Anderson Cooper, CBS Nightly News, Katie Courie, Dr. Phil, Canadian CBC Sunday News Magazine, CNN Headline News, Fox News, BBC Talk Radio, NPR, and others.

    On this episode of the Digital Parent Podcast Sue and I discuss the impact of online shaming, how the president creates a culture of shame, and strategies to prevent shaming.

    Here are some of the topics that Sue and I covered on the show.

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  • New research indicates that video game addiction is a real thing! On a recent episode of the Digital Parent Podcast, Dr. David Greenfield discussed video game addiction with teens and athletes. On this episode we wanted to do a deep dive into video game addiction.

    Child Psychiatrist Dr. Clifford Sussman joins the show to discuss video game addiction and some of the consequences he sees in his practice. Dr. Sussman and I discussed options for treatment and how parents can afford to pay for treatment.

    Dr. Sussman is on the volunteer faculty at GWU medical school, where he serves as a Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He has presented to parents, students, staff, and clients on multiple topics including Digital Technology Addiction, parenting and mentoring adoptive and foster children, psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, ADHD, and Autism.

    He has been on multiple expert panels discussing digital technology addiction with various schools around the region and is planning multiple presentations on this topic for the 2017 annual AACAP meeting in Washington, DC. He is currently developing an animated series of youtube videos to provide psychoeducation on digital technology addiction.

    Click HERE for the show notes.

  • The Device Free Movement has finally influence corporations to take notice and provide solutions for families. The Comcast Xfinity team has stepped up to the plate to tackle this issue. A new Comcast research study shows that parents across the nation desire to disconnect from devices during dinnertime to improve family bonding.

    The nationwide study of parents, conducted by Wakefield Research, also found:

    Dinnertime is bonding time – Nearly every (98 percent) parent surveyed agrees that disconnecting from devices during mealtime improves family bonding. Parents can set an example – More than half (52 percent) of parents have been told by their children to put their device away during meals. Device-free meals are rare – More than 2 in 5 parents (42 percent) can’t remember the last time their family had a device-free meal. And Millennial parents have an especially hard time remembering the last time they broke bread without a device at the table (49 percent), compared to Gen Xers (37 percent) and Boomers (33 percent). Sneaking screen time - Parents admit to taking away their children’s devices an average of once per week and more than half (56 percent) have found their children trying to sneak their devices when they were banned from them. Going to extremes to disconnect – nearly one-third (31 percent) of parents make their children leave their devices in a basket before bedtime, while 14 percent go so far as to disconnect their modems to block Wi-Fi usage.

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  • Back to School Cell Phones will be the new hot topic in a couple of weeks. Kids having cell phones at school is the new normal. It is as integral as having a number 2 pencil. The new average age of kids getting their first cell phone is 10. The number is trending smaller with the increase in latchkey kids in the U.S.

    Tech Expert Jay from Tech Parental stopped by the digital parent podcast to assist us with this topic. Here are some of the topics Jay and I discussed on this episode:

    Click Here for the Show Notes

  • Going back to school causes anxiety and stress for parents and students. The family as a whole has to transition from the laid back care free summer nights to the regimented homework and bedtime routines.

    This transition prevent parents from asking themselves the most important back to school questions. What really worked for my child last year? How do I build upon the momentum that was gained last school year.

    Parenting Expert Annie Fox and I tackle this back to school anxiety on this episode of the Digital Parent Podcast. We lay a ground work on how to start the new school year on the right foot. Here are some of the topics that Annie and I discussed on this podcast.

    Click Here for the Show Notes.

  • Maybe I am old school but when my kids informed me that their schools was moving to a 1:1 program I cringed just a little bit. For most school districts, 1:1 is when laptops are purchased and loaned to every student in the school building. Lessons are provided to the student through their laptops.

    I have discussed on this podcast on numerous shows the dangers of unchecked screen time. Now knowing that my kids will be spending another 8 hours on the computer is down right frighting. In order to soothe my fears and the fears of other parents, I invited 1:1 expert Heather Dowd to discuss the wonderful benefits of 1:1 programs.

    Heather is the author of the book Classroom Management in the Digital Age. In the book, Heather discusses how teachers should structure their classrooms to embrace 1:1 and also huge benefits the students will receive from the program. Heather soothed some of my fears. Here are some of the topics that we discussed on this podcast.

    Click here for the Show Notes

  • Digital Citizenship has been a new topic of interest among schools across the U.S. The increase in cyberbullying and sexting incidents in school have caused school districts to figure out a way to teach appropriate ethics to students. Digital citizenship has become a way for schools to invite online safety speakers and law enforcement to discuss good digital ethics.

    There is another movement called social leadership that is taking digital citizenship to the next level. The emphasis is more on how students can use social media to connect with experts and college professors outside of their classroom. How students can develop empathy towards one another and how to take on social justice issues.

    In order to explore this new trend, we invited author Jennifer Casa-Todd to discuss her new book SocialLEADia. SocialLEADia highlights examples of students and teachers that use technology and social media to move past the cyber safety and cyber ethics towards social leadership. The book highlights how students can use social media to address inequality and social justice issues. Jennifer and I discussed some of the following topics:

    Click Here for show notes

  • A lot of rising 6th graders will be entering middle school next year. Parents will be asking the question, "Should I purchase my child their first cell phone?" This will be the question that million of parents will be discussing for the up and coming school year. Unfortunately, young cell phone users are the new normal. A recent study show that most students receive their cell phone before the age of 7.

    In order to prepare parents for this big purchase, we invited back to the Digital Parent Podcast our good friend and expert Devorah Heitner to discuss her new Cell Phone Boot Camp for parents. The 4 Week Book Camp will take place online from July 9 – August 5, 2017. The boot camp will cover the following topics:

    Assessing your family’s current digital situation Social skills and etiquette to help kids be successful with social media, and texting Planning and organizing your physical space at home to maximize positive outcomes Common digital citizenship challenges for new smartphone users Planning for boundaries around when your child will have access to the device Minimize power struggles with planning and routines Teach your child to make good decisions…even when you are not right there.

    Click Here for the Show Notes.

  • According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, kids over the age of 2 should not be spending more than 2 hours a day in front of a mobile device or a TV. We definitely know that kids are not following AAP recommendations. In fact, Common Sense Media released a study indicating that children from the ages of 8-18 spend at least 7.5 hours a day with electronic devices.

    On this episode of the Digital Parent Podcast, Denise DeRosa joins us once again to help parents determine the most appropriate screen time for kids during the summertime. Denise and I discuss how the summer is the prime time for predators to target teens on social media and apps.

    Denise L DeRosa is the founder of Cyber Sensible, LLC, an expert in online safety, digital citizenship and a frequent speaker on parenting in the digital age. Cyber Sensible Consulting is dedicated to helping people harness the power and potential of a positive digital life. Here are some of the questions I asked Denise during the interview.

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    Click Here for the show notes.

  • It has now become a fact that kids receive tremendous health benefits when they ditch their electronic devices and play outside with nature. Scientific studies have proven that our digital natives are suffering from diabetes, depression, obesity, and ADHD. All of these health issues stem from to much screen time indoors.

    In order to get kids to play outside more, I reached out to my friend Diana Graber to join the Digital Parent Podcast. Diana is a recognized expert on digital literacy. She writes for, is interviewed by, and appears often in the press on topics related to how technology impacts human behavior.

    Graber has a B.A. in Communications Studies from UCLA, an M.A. in Media Psychology & Social Change from Fielding Graduate University/UCLA. Her Cyber Civics program was recently recognized as an “Innovation in Education” finalist by Project Tomorrow and the O.C. Tech Alliance and is now being taught at schools in 20 states and internationally.

    Diana and I discussed some of the following questions on the episode:

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  • When most teens have health problems or concern they turn to Dr. Google.com to provide them with answers. Afraid to talk with their parents teens seek online health sites to soothe their concerns. The problem is that most health sites geared toward teens are full of miss information.

    On this Episode of the Digital Parent Podcast we invited my good friend Dr. Laura Offutt who is the top teen health advocate in the country. Laura Offutt, MD received her BA from Columbia University in NYC and her MD at Northwestern University in Chicago. She completed her residency training in Internal Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, where she stayed on as a member of the academic faculty. Subsequently Dr. Offutt has had numerous medical roles in clinical research, drug safety and medical consulting.

    She is also the founder of Real Talk with Dr. Offutt which is a teen health resource site that uses social media to encourage teens to be a part of their digital health. On this episode Dr. Offutt and I discussed some of the following topics:

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