Strengthen Digital Safety at Home

• Is Your Home Tech-Ready? 9-question check to assess your family’s digital risks
  protectyoungeyes.com/start-here

• Parental Controls: Step-by-step instructions for every major device
  protectyoungeyes.com/parental-controls-every-digital-device

• 5-Minute Protection Steps: Quick actions with immediate impact
  familyitguy.com

• Review privacy, visibility, and content settings on the platforms they use most

  • YouTube: The Ultimate Guide to YouTube for Caregivers (Protect Young Eyes) – Learn how to set up supervised accounts, enable Restricted Mode, and turn off AutoPlay for a safer experience. Don’t forget your smart TVs! Avoid YouTube shorts as it uses the same techniques TikTok uses to make it hard to stop watching. YouTube safety settings 

  • Roblox: Update Social Visibility Settings – Make profiles private, turn off geo-tagging, and only “friend” people you know in real life.

  • Minecraft/Xbox: Manage Child Account Social Settings – Use Microsoft Family Groups to limit chat, online status, and multiplayer access.

  • TikTok: Tips for Staying Safe on TikTok (Kaspersky) - Encourage your child to think about security and privacy when using TikTok, and talk together about safer ways to use the app. TikTok’s design emphasizes short-form, fast-paced content that keeps viewers engaged through autoplay and endless scrolling. Research and internal documents suggest that extended use can affect focus, sleep, and in-person social connection.

• Talk to your kids about the STEP process: Encourage kids to pause and THINK before they post and ask themselves if what they’re about to share is True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, and Kind.

  Download STEP Process PDF

• Consider Third-Party Safety Software: Parental control and online safety tools help families monitor and manage children’s digital activity. These services use artificial intelligence to scan for potential issues such as cyberbullying, online predators, or signs of self-harm, and alert parents when concerning content is detected.

  https://www.brightcanary.io/   |    https://www.bark.us/

• Understand Your Router: Your router is the most important digital device in your home. Learn how filters, time controls, VPN blockers, and other features can keep harmful content out.
  protectyoungeyes.com/devices/the-ultimate-guide-to-understanding-routers

• House Rules for Screentime: Bring peace, connection, and focus into your home
  wearemama.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/MAMAHouseRules.pdf

Smartphone Alternatives

• Gabb Phone (Ed Peisner Recommendation): The Gabb phone is a kid-friendly smartphone designed with safety and simplicity in mind. It limits internet access, blocks social media, and removes addictive games. Kids can still call, text, and use pre-approved apps—helping them stay connected while minimizing exposure to online risks.
  Learn more about Gabb

• Tin Can Phone: Landlines are Back: Some parents are going analog and reintroducing landlines as a way to keep kids connected without screens or social media. Tin Can is a telephone club for friends to chat voice-to-voice during the no-smartphone years. Only approved contacts can put calls through to your Tin Can. Set up a quiet hours schedule or enable Do Not Disturb within the app. This trend was even featured in the Washington Post.
  Tincan.kids

• More Options: Thankfully, there are many alternatives to traditional smartphones that don’t carry the same risks. Explore more ideas at waituntil8th.org/devices

Discover What Experts Say

National Center of Excellence on Social Media & Youth Mental Health*
A trusted hub for evidence-based education, tools, and technical support. Includes a Glossary of Digital Media Platforms (social, video, gaming apps) with info on privacy defaults, messaging, screen time, and parental controls.
aap.org/en/patient-care/media-and-children/center-of-excellence-on-social-media-and-youth-mental-health/

Organization for Social Media Safety
The Organization for Social Media Safety is a nonprofit, consumer protection organization fighting every day to make social media safe for everyone. Learn about the dangers your children are likely to face on social media as well as practical steps you can take to build healthy
https://www.socialmediasafety.org/

Common Sense Media
Since 2003, Common Sense has been the leading independent source for families navigating media and technology. They review thousands of movies, shows, apps, games, and books — helping parents quickly see what’s age-appropriate, what may be too mature, and what might include themes they’d prefer to delay introducing.
www.commonsensemedia.org/

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
This bestselling book explores how kids have been overprotected in the real world and underprotected online — and what families, schools, and communities can do to restore balance.
anxiousgeneration.com | Watch Jonathan highlight key insights from the book

[Coming Soon] The Amazing Generation by Jonathan Haidt & Catherine Price
Written for tweens (5th–8th grade), this engaging guide helps kids find joy, freedom, and balance in a screen-filled world — whether or not they already have smartphones or social media.

5 Strategies for Parents to Free the Anxious Generation by Dr. Becky Kennedy & Jonathan Haidt
Five simple, actionable steps for healthier tech use at home. Includes strategies if your child already has a smartphone or social media, with tips for recalibrating routines.
goodinside.com/access-anxiousgenerationguide-lp

10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World: How Parents Can Stop Smartphones, Social Media, and Gaming from Taking Over Their Children's Lives by Jean M. Twenge
Drawing on decades of research in psychology and her experience as a mom of three teenagers, Dr. Twenge offers ten actionable rules to help parents set boundaries around smartphones, social media, and gaming while raising independent, well-rounded kids.
jeantwenge.com/10-rules-for-raising-kids-in-a-high-tech-world/

The Science of Motivating Young People* by David Yeager, Ph.D.
A groundbreaking look at how to guide and inspire kids ages 10–25. A must-read for parents, educators, coaches, and mentors who want to better understand motivation in the next generation.
simonandschuster.com/books/10-to-25/David-Yeager/9781668023884

Free Range Kids: How Parents and Teachers Can Let Go and Let Grow by Lenore Skenazy
freerangekids.com/

How to Break Up With Your Phone by Catherine Price
catherineprice.com/screenlifebalance

Kids' Brains and Screens by Melanie Hempe
screenstrong.org/kidsbrainsandscreens/

Phone-Free Schools – Article & FAQs – Learn about the case for phone-free schools and get answers to common parent questions.
afterbabel.com/p/phone-free-schools | anxiousgeneration.com/phone-free-schools#faqs

*Resources recommended by Dr. Candice Odgers, an award winning psychologist, scientist, and expert on adolescent mental health. She is a leading authority on how to best support and protect children in the digital age. With over 20 years of experience leading research on adolescent mental health, her team captures the daily lives of adolescents on their smartphones and works with young people, parents, and policy-makers to implement science-based solutions.