With 5 boys between 10 and 14 (2 sets of twins) when to give children a phone has been a constant conversation. Here is the simple way my wife and I have handled it. Stage 1 (No Phone): when they will never be somewhere without a trusted adult who has a phone. Stage 2 (Bark/Gizmo Watch): Call and Text Only for when they will begin to be places without constant adult supervision or will be places for more than one day like Church Camp. Stage 3 (Bark Phone): After they show they are responsible we moved to a call and text only plan where I control who they can contact and monitor their texting. Stage 4 (Bark Phone): full access apps I approve and monitoring of their messaging. We are not here yet. Stage 5 (Apple/Android): they are adults and can pay for their own phone!!! I use Bark because I use it to monitor their computers so there is only one system to learn. This plan has helped them learn to use tech responsibility and I did not give them more access then they were ready to handle. When they make mistakes they learn from it or they know I will take it form them until they show me they are ready for it. You Got This, Mike

When’s the last time you checked your parental controls? I’m asking because most parents THINK they have their kid’s iPhone locked down. But here’s what I see all the time: One setting gets missed. One permission gets overlooked. And suddenly their kid has access to things you never intended. It’s not your fault. Apple hides some of the most important settings in weird places. I was recently on a podcast with Ben Gillenwater, the Family I.T. Guy Ben has put together a quick step-by-step guide that walks you through every single setting you need to check. No tech degree needed. Just clear screenshots and simple instructions. Check it out here: bit.ly/CSSITGUY You got this, Det Mike

Where are you from? Kentucky What is the biggest challenge you face with children and technology? Not wanting to do anything else besides be online What is your favorite book? Hunger games

The Numbers That Made Me Put Down My Coffee ​ I've been doing this work for over 16 years now. ​ I've seen a lot of ugly numbers. ​ But the ones that just came out from the National Center for Missing and Exp*oited Children stopped me in my tracks. ​ NCMEC just released their 2025 data, and here's the number that hit me... ​ 1.4 million reports of online enticement. ​ In one year. ​ Let me say that differently so it really sinks in. ​ In 2021, there were 44,000 reports. ​ In 2022, it jumped to 80,000. ​ In 2023, it hit 186,000. ​ In 2024, it blew past 546,000. ​ And in 2025? ​ 1.4 million. ​ That's a 156% increase in just one year. ​ And a more than 3,000% increase in four years. ​ This was so alarming that NCMEC actually did something they've never done before — they released emergency mid-year data in 2025 because they couldn't wait until the end of the year to warn us. ​ That's how fast this is moving. ​ And here's the part that should make every parent sit up straight... ​ In just the first six months of 2025, NCMEC received 518,000 reports of online enticement. ​ Of those, 440,000 were connected to AI-generated exp*oitation. ​ That means roughly 85% of enticement reports in the first half of 2025 had an AI connection. ​ And that 440,000 number? ​ It was up from just 6,800 in the same period the year before. ​ That's a 6,300% increase. ​ Pr*dators are now using artificial intelligence to create fake exp*icit images of kids using nothing but a school photo or a picture from their social media. ​ They don't even need to trick your child into sending a photo anymore. ​ They just take one. ​ What This Looks Like in a Real Family's Living Room ​ These aren't just numbers on a screen. ​ Each one of those 1.4 million reports is somebody's kid. ​ Here's what gets me about this... ​ A mom called NCMEC to report that her daughter had been targeted by a violent online group on a messaging platform. ​ These pr*dators befriended her daughter first. ​ Built trust. ​ Made her feel special.

Hello parents. If you're here then you're doing the right thing. How many of you have kids who are legitimately addicted to their phones, games or tech? I do and its killing me inside that it has gotten this far. My son is failing 6th grade because he is constantly gaming on his laptop instead of doi g work while at school and he has been caught just last week, 4 times , 4 days in a row. Any suggestions?