Ep. 208: Digital Safety 101: Back to School Edition Part 2 with Guest Sarah Kimmel

In the second installment of our Back to School series on the Parenting Great Kids podcast, Dr. Meg Meeker interviews Sarah Kimmel, a family tech expert, to discuss effective strategies for communicating internet safety with children. Sarah emphasizes the importance of implementing parental controls and filters on devices and apps to create a safer online environment for children. She suggests using multiple layers of protection, such as in-app controls and on-device control settings like Apple Screen Time and Google Family Link. Sarah also highlights the significance of ongoing communication between parents and children about potential risks and safe online practices. This episode is a must-listen for parents who want to gain practical strategies for keeping their children safe online.  In this episode, you’ll learn how to: Discover the methods to safeguard your children in the digital world. Unearth the best practices to effectively implement parental controls and filters. Learn effective ways to engage in an open dialogue with your children about web safety. Acquire up-to-date knowledge about the latest technology trends and potential online threats. Understand the empowering influence of technology on children and parents when used responsibly. The key moments in this episode are: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:38 Teaching Children about Online Safety 00:03:07 Transition to Family Tech Expert 00:04:25 Platforms for Consuming Tech Information 00:08:20 Role of a Family Tech Expert 00:15:28 Protecting Children from Inappropriate Content 00:18:23 Preventing Stalking and Grooming of Girls 00:20:57 Online Gaming Safety 00:24:33 Layers of Protection 00:26:45 Importance of Conversations 00:31:16 Monitoring Social Media Activity 00:31:41 Parental Control Options 00:32:11 Positive Aspects of Parental Controls 00:32:29 Understanding and Implementing Technolog 00:33:29 Recap of Key Takeaways ABOUT OUR GUEST: Having spent over 20 years as an IT Manager, Sarah now dedicates her time to helping families understand and manage the technology in their homes through her podcast, tv appearances, YouTube channel and social platforms.  SPONSORS: Skip trips to the grocery store and count on HelloFresh to make home cooking easy, fun, AND affordable – that’s why it’s America’s #1 meal kit!. Click here and use code 50drmeg for 50% off plus free shipping! This episode is sponsored by K12-powered schools. With a track record of over twenty years, K12 stands as an accredited pioneer in online education, providing tuition-free learning guided by state-certified educators. Learn more here. FROM THE PRODUCER: Thanks for helping Dr. Meg’s parenting revolution reach more than 5 MILLION downloads! If you found today’s content helpful, please consider sharing it with another parent and subscribing to stay updated on future episodes. You can also visit DrMegMeeker.com for additional parenting resources and online courses. Get social with Dr. Meg on YouTube, Facebook & Instagram @MegMeekerMD Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices