Family IT Guy Podcast

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...

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 wor...

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 parents 2. Helped implement Wait Until 8th in her community...

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://w...

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 smart...

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 d...

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 modelin...

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 • Ch...

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 underst...

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 dev...

Sora AI lets kids deepfake themselves with no age limits. 440K child exploitation reports in 2024. What parents must know now. OpenAI launched Sora on October 1st, and within 24 hours security experts bypassed every safety feature. Your child can download it right now and create realistic videos with their own face - no age verification, no parental consent required. Here's what you can do: knowle...

Are you or your child interested in cybersecurity? Before spending $25K on a bootcamp, watch this conversation with an offensive security expert. Orlando Padilla shares brutal truths about breaking into the field - from bootcamp scams to what hiring managers actually want. In this conversation, you'll learn: - Why expensive bootcamps often fail to deliver job placement - How AI has completely chan...

Roblox CEO claimed 'gold standard safety.' As a cybersecurity expert who tested it, here's what he didn't say on Fox News. I created an 8-year-old account with maximum parental controls active. Within 60 minutes, I found sexual content passing all filters. With 40 million children under 13 using this platform daily, every parent needs to understand what's actually happening - and why Roblox refuse...

Sarah (Mom Uncharted) went from following momfluencers to becoming one of the "watchdog moms of TikTok" with 300K+ followers. She reveals what most parents don't know about the real cost of sharing children online. Sarah's awakening moment: "I was following a momfluencer who shared her child's medical diagnosis, hospitals, doctors, appointments. And I realized - I shouldn't know this. This is too...

Your teen's midnight scrolling isn't a discipline problem, it's a sleep deprivation crisis making them vulnerable to predators, bullying, and addictive algorithms. When your teenager has a device in their bedroom at night, four critical dangers emerge: 1. Fatigue destroys judgment - tired teens share information and engage with strangers they normally wouldn't 2. Isolation eliminates protection -...

Remember when you could just "log off"? Your kids can't. The internet you grew up with and the one they're navigating are worlds apart. You survived AOL chat rooms. You navigated the early internet just fine. But here's the uncomfortable truth: that experience doesn't prepare you for what your kids face today. Not because you weren't capable then—but because the internet itself has fundamentally c...

Meta's internal research proved Instagram harms teen mental health. Whistleblowers testified they suppressed the evidence. 42 states sued over addictive design. Now Instagram announces PG-13 ratings—while changing none of the features their own research identified as harmful. - 2021: Frances Haugen leaks Meta internal research: "We make body image issues worse for 1 in 3 teen girls" - Meta's resea...

Roblox announced 100 safety updates, but do they fix the fundamental problem? Here's what every parent needs to know. You may have heard about Roblox's new safety updates and wondered: "Does this finally make it safe for my kids?" You're not alone. With 40 million children under 13 playing Roblox every day, understanding what these updates actually address—and what they don't—is critical for makin...

If your child has a smartphone, they're likely to encounter serious risks. School Resource Officer Gomez shares what he's seeing with cell phone addiction and practical strategies that help families respond. Officer Gomez is a deputy and school resource officer who works directly with students and families navigating these challenges daily. What he's witnessing: 100% of teenage boys will be propos...

Sora represents the convergence of everything that concerns me about technology and kids. OpenAI released Sora as an "AI video creation tool," but the actual product tells a different story. It's a social network with: - Vertical scrolling feeds (TikTok model) - AI-powered algorithmic recommendations - Stranger interaction through comments, likes and direct messages - Video remixing features using...

OpenAI announced parental controls for ChatGPT on September 29 2025, but after testing them myself, I found critical flaws that make them ineffective for protecting children. In this video, I break down exactly what's wrong with the current system and what the parental controls should actually look like. Key Problems Covered: - Children can bypass controls by simply logging out - Defaults are not...

The fastest-growing crime against children isn't happening at parks or schools - it's happening through anonymous online chat. Focus on just 2 digital dangers: addictive algorithms that steal attention, and anonymous chat that enables predators. This framework will change how you evaluate every app and platform for your kids. VIDEO NOTES: - 10,000+ monthly sextortion cases on Snapchat alone - Pred...

OpenAI is releasing parental controls, but they're missing the fundamental issue with kids and AI. As someone who's spent 3 decades in cybersecurity (including NSA work), I use AI daily for software development and research. But as a dad? The risks to developing minds are too significant to ignore. This video covers: - Why I compare AI to dangerous weapons for kids - How AI impacts your child's de...

I just taught a robot everything I know about keeping families safe online. With millions watching Family IT Guy content weekly, I can't personally help everyone. This AI chatbot changes that - it is trained on all of my work - my articles, videos, lectures and podcasts. Perfect for parents who: - Feel overwhelmed by constantly changing technology - Need answers in languages other than English - W...

30-year cybersecurity expert reveals why YouTube Kids isn't actually safe and what parents can do about it. My child's experience with nightmare-inducing content led me to research solutions that actually work. As both a cybersecurity professional and a dad, I've discovered that YouTube Kids has three major problems: addictive algorithmic design, inappropriate content infiltration, and low awarene...