Family IT Guy Podcast (audio)

The Antidote to Internet Chaos

The internet is constant noise: endless scrolling, reacting and stimulation. It's rewiring our brains to consume information in tiny bursts and it's affecting everyone, including our kids.So what's the antidote?Stillness.I've spent 30 years in cybersecurity and I help families navigate technology and online safety. One pattern shows up again and again. We can't teach our kids to manage digital chaos if we can't manage it ourselves.Psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen teaches a simple 15-second breathing protocol.Inhale for 4 seconds, hold, exhale for 8 seconds, hold again, then repeat several cycles. That longer exhale sends a signal to the body that things are safe and it's okay to calm down.I looked for an app that uses this pattern without endless menus or decisions and couldn't find one. So I built one called Being - One Minute to Calm. When you open it, it starts immediately. No signups, no subscriptions, just breathing and stillness. It uses gentle haptic taps so you can follow the pattern with your eyes open or closed.Available on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV. Android is coming soon.Search "Being - One Minute to Calm" in the App Store or visit https://www.familyitguy.com/being/Do you have any experience with meditation or breathwork? Share your story in the comments.

Inside the Mind of Predators: Forensic Psychologist Dr. Leslie Dobson on Child Predators & Risk

How can families protect children from dangerous predators - both online and in real life? In this eye-opening episode of the Family IT Guy Podcast, Dr. Leslie Dobson, forensic psychologist, dives into the psychology of violent offenders, including child predators, and reveals why consequences in the justice system often fall short.Dr. Dobson shares real stories from her decades of experience working in prisons, state hospitals, and private practice, explaining how understanding the criminal mind can empower families to protect their children. She also discusses how social media can be a powerful tool for raising awareness and holding offenders accountable.In this episode, you’ll learn:- How offenders cycle through the criminal justice system- The limitations and corruption in handling child predators- The role of forensic psychology in protecting victims- How families can use knowledge and advocacy to improve safety- Practical insights for keeping kids safe online📌 Subscribe for more on family safety, online protection, and tech.👍 Like if you want to protect your family better💬 Comment your thoughts or questions about child safety online

How One Parent Took on Smartphones in Elementary School — and Changed a Community

When smartphones started showing up in 1st grade, Meri knew something had to change. As a PR expert and mom who understood AI, algorithms, and why these devices are so addictive, she dove into the research—and then took action.In this episode, we talk about how she:1. Partnered with schools and clinical psychologists to educate kids AND parents2. Helped implement Wait Until 8th in her community3. Worked with school leadership on behavior impacts from devices and social media4. Started a “Tech Corner” in school and church newsletters5. Equipped parents with the data they needed to make informed choices6. Built a like-minded community instead of fighting the battle aloneHer mission?Arm parents with information so they can protect their kids’ brains—not just hope tech companies or the government will. Actionable steps for parents (we cover in detail): • Alternatives to smartphones • Parent email template you can send TODAY (email info@familyitguy.com for template) • How to build a community of like-minded families: – FITG Community: https://lnk.bio/s/84ae0 – @WaitUntil8th: https://lnk.bio/s/fd234 – TinCan Phone pods: https://lnk.bio/s/1074b – Playdates with shared rules – No-photo posting waivers at school • How to confidently start conversations with other parentsYour kids’ safety isn’t up for grabs—and you don’t have to wait for someone else to draw the line.Watch now and share with a parent who needs this!Subscribe for more Family IT Guy episodes that help YOU navigate tech and parenting with confidence.

AI Toys for Kids - My Thoughts

Join me as I explore the world of AI toys and share my thoughts on their impact on children. As a cybersecurity expert and parent, I delve into the potential risks and benefits of these innovative toys.I discuss how AI toys work, the privacy concerns they raise, and why it's crucial for parents to stay informed. Let's ensure our kids' safety in this digital age. For more insights, visit https://www.familyitguy.com and follow me on social media. #aitoys #childsafety #FamilyITGuyThis is from my conversation with the Utopian Society Project on their South Bay Live show.

Bark Phone Review: What Works, What Doesn’t, How to Set It Up

This is a complete Bark Phone review and setup guide from a cybersecurity expert and dad. After testing every feature, here's my take on what Bark does well, where it falls short, and the settings I recommend changing before giving this phone to your child.THE SHORT VERSION: Bark Phone delivers on its claims. The parental controls actually work and kids can't bypass them. If my son needed a smartphone and I wanted to monitor his conversations for concerning behaviors, I would use a Bark phone. 📱 Full setup guide with screenshots: https://www.familyitguy.com/bark-phone-review.html 🔗 Get Bark Phone: https://www.familyitguy.com/go/bark 📦 Accessories you'll need that are not included: • USB-C Charger: https://amzn.to/4p42rB3 • Protective Case: https://amzn.to/3M7oqs2DISCLOSURE: Bark sent me this phone for free to review. I have no contract with Bark and no agreement about the nature of this review. Links above are affiliate links - I earn a commission if you purchase through them, at no extra cost to you.#BarkPhone #parentalcontrols #kidsphone #firstphone #onlinesafety

Facial Scans & IDs for Kids—Think Before You Agree

Roblox just rolled out age verification THIS week, and it could put your child’s personal data at risk.If you’re a parent, you need to know what this really means—and why you don’t have to hand over your child’s face or ID to use any app. Governments and platforms are claiming these systems protect kids, but what they’re really doing is creating massive databases of children’s IDs and biometric data.And those databases are getting hacked.Last month, Discord’s age verification vendor was breached and 70,000 government IDs were stolen, including kids’ documents. Now Roblox is requiring facial age estimation or government ID to use chat, sending that data to a third-party vendor.We can say NO.You do NOT have to hand over your child’s face or your family’s IDs to use an app.I know this video is long, but it’s important for every parent to understand what’s happening. Please share this and help other families stay informed.👇 Comment your thoughts and share this with a parent who needs to hear it.#ageverification #robloxupdate #parents #cybersecurity #parentingtips #digitalparenting

Is It Really ADHD? How Devices Are Rewiring Our Kids’ Brains with Dr. Carrie Mackensen

Are devices causing ADHD-like symptoms in your child? Clinical psychologist Dr. Carrie Mackensen joins The Family IT Guy Podcast to expose what she calls a “misdiagnosis epidemic.”Dr. Carrie explains why screen-induced ADHD looks identical to neurological ADHD — and how a 21–31 day digital detox can reveal the truth. She shares five essential digital boundaries every family needs, and how modeling healthy tech use can rebuild connection at home.In this episode:- Why kids are being misdiagnosed with ADHD, anxiety, and depression- How devices mimic neurological disorders- The power of a 4-week digital detox- Five healthy digital boundaries for families- How to strengthen the parent-child bond in a tech-driven world#FamilyITGuy #ParentingPodcast #DigitalAddiction #ADHD #ScreenTime #DigitalDetox #ParentingTips #KidsAndScreens

Dear Tim Cook: Make Parental Controls as Easy as Apple Pay

I'm asking Tim Cook and his team at Apple to make child safety as easy as Apple Pay. The technology already exists for schools and businesses - families just can't access it.I made an 82-page guide just to help parents set up Apple's Screen Time correctly. That's the problem.The statistics related to kids having smartphones are alarming:• Suicide rates for kids 10-14 tripled from 2007-2019• Child exploitation reports nearly tripled from 2023 to 2024• 2025 is on track to exceed 1 million child exploitation reportsApple's Mobile Device Management infrastructure delivers pre-configured, tamper-proof devices to schools and corporations every day. But Apple’s policy restrictions prevent families from accessing the same capability.The technology exists to protect kids from addictive algorithms and anonymous strangers. We need Apple to make it accessible to families.Share this if you would like Apple to offer tamper-proof devices to families.

Sora: Why This New AI App Is a Predator’s Dream - What Parents Need to Know

456,000 sextortion reports in 2024. OpenAI's new Sora app combines 3 dangers that make this threat worse. OpenAI just released Sora, an AI video generation app being rolled out to teens. As a 30-year cybersecurity expert, I'm calling it a silver platter for predators. This video breaks down exactly why Sora is different from other social media apps and what specific dangers parents need to understand.- Why Sora's cameo feature creates permanent biometric data risks your family can't reverse- 65,000 AI-generated deepfake sextortion cases happened in 2024 - and Sora makes this worse- The 3 specific threats Sora combines (biometric data harvesting, deepfake weaponization, addictive algorithms)I spent 30 years in cybersecurity, including work with the NSA, and I'm also a dad. I understand the technical threats AND the parenting challenges. This isn't about creating fear - it's about giving you the knowledge to make informed decisions for your family.The problem isn't that your kids are bad or that you're failing as a parent. The problem is that companies design these apps asking "can we?" instead of "should we?" Once you understand these patterns, you can protect your family not just from Sora, but from the next app that comes along.View the Family IT Guy Amazon store for my recommended family-safe products https://www.amazon.com/shop/family.it.guy

Device Addiction in Kids: The Parenting Mistake Everyone Makes

Your child seems withdrawn. Device battles every day. Extreme meltdowns when you try to take their phone away. Sound familiar?If your kid has become unreachable since getting a smartphone or tablet - withdrawn from family, losing joy in activities they loved, fighting you over screen time - you're experiencing what thousands of parents are going through right now. You've probably tried taking devices away, setting new rules, drawing hard lines. And it failed.Here's the part most parents miss: Your child has been watching you on your phone since they were two years old. Sitting in their car seat, watching you scroll at stoplights. At dinner, watching you check notifications. At bedtime, seeing your phone come into your bedroom. Clinical psychologist Dr. Carrie Mackensen explains that children's brains are "associated machines" - they've been unconsciously coding in your behavior for years.This video reveals why traditional authoritarian approaches fail and what actually works: a three-strategy framework that starts with changing your own behavior first.This isn't about blaming parents - it's about understanding how behavior modeling works and using that knowledge to help your family. Research shows that collaborative approaches where parents model healthy behavior first have significantly higher success rates than authoritarian bans.View the Family IT Guy Amazon store for my recommended family-safe products https://www.amazon.com/shop/family.it.guy