Brave Parenting

Generative AI apps such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, and Claude have rapidly become the go-to parenting sages. Every type of parenting question can be answered efficiently and with (what sounds like) expertise.  Undoubtedly, these apps offer parents help during stressful times. But is this the way God intends for us to receive parenting advice and practical wisdom? What is lost when human relationshi...

Often, apps begin with noble intentions of “connection” or “education.” While they promise to be different, they inevitably resort to classic tactics for maximum engagement: streaks, coins, leaderboards, FOMO, and notifications. In this episode, Kelly uncovers this trend using Duolingo and Zigazoo as examples. This trend of app devolution is important for parents to underst...

After years of doing nothing, Big Tech social platforms started releasing new “teen safety” and “parental controls” to show how much they care about and prioritize children’s safety. The problem with these new safety features is that they are not enough. It’s the design of social media and games that creates spaces of chaos where everyone does what is right in t...

In today’s Brave Briefing, Kelly reviews the new book,  The Amazing Generation  by Jonathon Haidt and Catherine Price. Written for a Gen Alpha audience, this book aims to inspire rebels who don’t let technology use them. This book serves almost as a hopeful sequel to The Anxious Generation, which highlighted the harms done to Gen Z by online media and technology.  Listen in to this bri...

Lots of companies promise solutions for taming screen time (for kids and  adults). Joining Kelly today on the podcast is Heather Wilkinson, sharing her personal story about excessive screen time, parenting, and the most powerful force for change: The Brick. The Brick is a physical device you tap in order to unlock the phone restrictions you’ve set up for yourself. Kinda like tap-to-pay, but...

LifeWise Academy has created an incredible program to enable kids in public schools to receive Bible education during school hours! In this episode, Kelly sits down with Aaron Braswell, a Texas director for LifeWise, to hear more about the ministry’s amazing work. Listen to learn how kids, families, and communities are being changed and how to help bring LifeWise Academy to your public schoo...

Every organization and business in the Media and Technology landscape offers parents ‘Peace of Mind.” They promise peace that only their app or service can deliver: “Peace starts with us .” They offer parents peace as an apology: “We didn’t care about your kid’s safety before, but we do now, and here are some safety features to prove it.”   And why i...

Kelly and Ryan answer the most common questions you’ve asked in 2025. Don’t my children need to learn technology to stay relevant and get a job? How can restricting Snapchat and keeping kids from talking to their friends be the best choice? What is the right age for a child to get a phone? What punishments work when taking their phone away doesn’t phase them? How do I explain tha...

A new app has emerged over the last few years, gaining popularity among preteens. No doubt because the app markets itself as “Gen Alpha’s social media.” Coverstar has the feel of TikTok, but with stricter community guidelines for content, zero tolerance for violations, and no direct messages. While it is perhaps “safer” than TikTok, what does an app that encourages yo...

It’s Deactivation Week!! On December 10th in Australia (which is really December 9 in the US), the first-ever social media ban will take effect. The major platforms are required by law to deactivate the accounts of children and teens under 16. Kelly reviews the details of the new law, the pushback from Big Tech, advocacy groups, parents, and teens, and why all of this is so important. While...

Today, we talk about the connection between sleep (or lack thereof), screens, and spiritual apathy. Kelly walks through five ways screens contribute to sleep deprivation and how children and teens who are sleep deprived are more likely to experience poor mental health, among other negative outcomes. More important for Christian parents is the spiritual apathy that arises in kids who are sleep-depr...

Before you start Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping for the latest and greatest tech gadgets, toys, and tools, it is important to have a biblical approach to gift-giving. In this episode, you’ll learn: The biblical nature of gift-giving and gift-receiving The call for Christians to give sacrificially What Scripture considers “good” gifts The top tech gifts promoted as “...

Snapchat released a digital safety course helping teens navigate the bullying, illicit drug activity, nude and intimate images, and sextortion found on their platform. Some may consider this altruistic, but it reveals a deeper problem with Snapchat’s very design. In this episode, Kelly walks through five points of contention with Snapchat’s design and the so-called “safety”...

Today, Kelly interviews Michelle Lazor of Mud Hen Mama. Michelle has ten biological children and a mission to provide books that support the biblical worldview for families. At Brave Parenting, we are so passionate about children reading – but not just any reading, it should be quality, enriching stories. That is what her website, Mud Hen Mama, provides: books vetted for Christian families....

In a world where Netflix, Spotify, and Amazon tailor everything “just for you,” convenience quietly and subtly reshapes our kids’ worldview, identity, and habits. In this 200th episode, Kelly & Ryan unpack how hyper-personalization works, why it feels so good, and where it becomes dangerous. From echo chambers to the illusion of control (and even AI-generated media), we explore the risks and o...

How are parents to handle their kids’ insatiable desire for more stuff? Today, Elizabeth Urbanowicz from Foundation Worldview is here to talk about how we fight consumerism in our family. This is an urgent issue, for if it isn’t corrected when they are young, consumerism and materialism are magnified during the teen years. From iPhones and airPods to every trending item they see online...

This week, Kelly responds to OpenAI’s decision to allow ChatGPT to create “erotic” content and Sam Altman’s defense to pushback against this decision, saying, “We are not the elected moral police of the world.” Kelly covers the Moral Argument for God and why God’s moral law is objective and universal. This decision is indicative of the future of AI. Sam Al...

Sora is a new short-form video social platform solely for AI-generated videos. In this episode, Kelly explains the app, its features, its dangers, and why parents have to keep kids off of this app!! That means you’ll have to restrict their access to the personal devices, the app stores, and the internet in general. It may seem like a high cost, but as Kelly discusses in the show, the cost of...

Every parent wants to believe “my child would never _________.” But what happens when your child does something unthinkable? What is our response when we find out? Recently, parents in Utah were faced with this devastating question.  What we know about their response can serve as a valuable example for all parents. In this podcast, Kelly discusses how parents can mentally and spiritual...

How much media & technology can you allow for young kids? If “zero” is impossible, how much and what kind of tech is good for kids to benefit from while avoiding harm? Kelly answers these questions by walking you through the types of media and technology that Brave Parenting approves of for kids under 12 years old. The five key rules for kids this age are: (1) No personal devices,...

Why does Brave Parenting not approve online platforms, games, and apps for kids? Are we anti-technology? No, we’re not anti-technology at all; we’re just very discerning about what we use and are unapologetically pro-childhood. Our goal is to advance the kingdom of God by using media and technology for God’s glory. Scripture referenced: Ephesians 5:15-16 John 1:3 Hebrews 11:3 Gen...

In this week’s episode, Kelly unpacks Roblox’s slogan, “Reimagining how people come together,” and how it reveals the platform’s ultimate goal for young people to spend their entire lives in the virtual world. It’s the techno-optimistic worldview on steroids. BONUS DOWNLOADS: Roblox Family Conversation Guide Why We’re Saying No to Roblox What it Means to B...

Roblox is back in the news, and in this episode, we are reviewing what Roblox is (in case you don’t know) and why it’s facing so much backlash. They boast new parental controls and safety initiatives in the midst of legal cases alleging they neglected to protect children from predatory exploitation. Should parents trust Roblox to be a safe platform? Kelly walks through how the design o...

AI chatbots promise “safe” learning, entertainment, and companionship, but how do these artificial agents distort childhood as God intended childhood? In this episode, Kelly unpacks the worldview behind AI technology, contrasts it with biblical discipleship, and explains why children and chatbots are terrible playmates. Using the example of AngelQ, the children’s app offering a k...

In this episode, Kelly and Nathan discuss the pros and cons of the AngelQ app after 3 weeks of hands-on testing. AngelQ advertises itself as a kid-safe internet browser (“superbrowser”) through the use of an AI chatbot interface. While its safety is greater than anything else available, do its other features make the app a net benefit or a net loss for children? Check out the Brave Par...