Creating Digital Safe Spaces :: Chris McKenna [Ep 360]

Does keeping your kids safe on the internet ever feel like a game of Whack-a-mole - frenzied and unending, always trying to fend off the threats that pop up? Or maybe you’ve been afraid your kids would be or feel left out if you had more limits on their screens? You’ve seen the documentaries and the research of how addictive social media can be and the average age in which kids are exposed to pornography keeps going down and yet, we know on some level what we forbid our kids to do has the potential to become the only thing they want. Families around you probably have a wide range of tech norms in their households. Kids relentlessly request screen time. Honestly, sometimes we long for the quiet of a kid mesmerized by a screen. 

What’s a mom to do? 

Enter this week’s guest, Chris McKenna, dad of four and founder of Protect Young Eyes, an organization devoted to helping parents create safe digital spaces for their kids. Chris encourages us that while there are real things our kids need protecting from on the internet, there are real ways we can foster digital trust and create safe digital spaces for our kids. Chris helps us understand that rather than a controller, our kids want a coach - someone to teach them how to use technology in ways that honor God, themselves, and others. 

 

Connect with Chris McKenna & Protect Young Eyes: 

• Website:  https://protectyoungeyes.com/ 
• Twitter @protecteyes 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/protectyoungeyes/ 
• Instagram:  @Protect Young Eyes 
• Protect Young Eyes App - iPhone 
• Protect Young Eyes App - Android  

Links Mentioned:  

•  Birds and Bees - Mary Flo Ridley - tools for talking to your kids about sex

• Good Pictures Bad Pictures Jr. by Kristen A. Jenson https://www.amazon.com/Good-Pictures-Bad-Jr-Protect/dp/0997318724 

• Protect Young Eyes TheUltimate Guide to Understanding Routers blog post 
• Gryphon Router
• Digital Trust Download

Related Episodes:

• Let’s Talk about Sex :: Mary Flo Ridley and Megan Michelson [Ep 328]
• Porn-Proofing Our Kids :: Kristen Jenson [Ep 256]
• Parenting in the Digital Age :: Ashley Januszewski [Ep 207]
• Time & Space for Flourishing :: Andy Crouch [Ep 208]
• The Screen Struggle is Real :: Arlene Pellicane [Ep 331]

Featured Sponsors: 

• Thrive Market. Join today to get 40% off your first order AND a FREE gift worth over $50! Join at ThriveMarket.com/DMA
• StitchFix. Get started today by filling out your free style quiz at StitchFitx.com/DMA  and take advantage of free shipping and returns.
• The Biggest Story Bible Storybook by Crossway and Kevin DeYoung. Pick up a copy wherever books are sold or visit crossway.org/plus to find out how to save 30%.