What age groups is this for?

Our materials cover ages 5-18, with specific guidance for elementary, middle, and high school stages.

How often is content updated?

We update our Playbook annually and send weekly updates to subscribers through Substack about new threats and trends.

Do I need special software or subscriptions?

No extra purchases are required. Every recommendation uses built-in tools available on iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac devices.

What if my child already has accounts and devices set up?

You can implement every safeguard retroactively, tightening privacy and app permissions without deleting existing data or profiles.

How often should I revisit the settings?

Set a monthly tech tune-up reminder to review screen time, new apps, and privacy updates, like changing the batteries in a smoke detector.

You Don't Have to Navigate This Alone

Raising kids in the digital age shouldn't feel like wandering through a maze with a fading flashlight. Safe Screens Weekly is here to give parents clear, practical help — but no single person or platform has every answer. This page highlights the most trusted, authoritative organizations and educators in online safety, so you can get the strongest guidance from the best sources available. This isn't about pointing you back to me — it's about pointing you to what your family needs most.

Turn Resources into a Weekly Game Plan

These organizations are here when things go wrong. My newsletter helps you stay ahead of problems in the first place with clear, weekly guidance.

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Government & Law Enforcement Resources

NCMEC

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is the nationwide clearinghouse for cases involving missing, abducted, and exploited children. They operate the CyberTipline, where families, tech platforms, and law enforcement can report online child exploitation. NCMEC also provides age-appropriate safety guides, printable resources, and support services to help caregivers understand what to do if a child is missing, being groomed online, or being pressured to share explicit images.

Visit missingkids.org →

ICAC Task Forces

The Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force Program is a nationwide network of more than 60 coordinated law enforcement task forces focused on technology-facilitated child exploitation. ICAC agencies work with local police, schools, and prosecutors to investigate grooming, sextortion, trafficking, and distribution of child sexual abuse material. Their website offers explanations of investigative workflow, prevention materials for families, and ways to contact your local ICAC team for help or resources.

Visit icactaskforce.org →

FBI – Online Safety & Victim Services

The FBI provides education and assistance for families facing online threats, including scams, grooming, trafficking, and extortion. Their parent-focused guidance explains how predators operate, what digital red flags to watch for, and how to report federal crimes involving children. The FBI’s Victim Services Division also offers crisis support, local advocates, and case guidance for families impacted by online exploitation or other federal offenses affecting minors.

Visit FBI guidance for parents →
Visit FBI victim services →

DHS / CISA – Stop.Think.Connect

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) runs Stop.Think.Connect, a national cyber awareness program designed to help families build safer online habits. Their parent and educator toolkits cover password hygiene, phishing prevention, digital citizenship, device security, and recognizing emerging cyber threats. These guides are especially useful for homes with multiple devices, mixed-age siblings, or kids using shared school equipment.

Visit CISA parent & educator resources →

FTC – Protecting Kids Online

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) focuses on privacy, marketing, data collection, and consumer protection issues that affect children online. Their guidance explains COPPA (the federal children’s privacy law), how apps track user data, what “free” games really cost, and how to prevent fraud, scams, and deceptive in-app purchases. The FTC also provides straightforward steps parents can follow to secure accounts and limit how companies use their child’s information.

Visit consumer.ftc.gov →

NetSmartz

NetSmartz, created by NCMEC, offers kid-friendly videos, interactive lessons, and real-world scenarios that teach children how to recognize unsafe behavior online. Their materials cover grooming, bullying, sexting pressure, oversharing, and digital reputation. For parents and educators, NetSmartz provides ready-to-use lesson plans, conversation guides, and printable safety sheets that make tough topics easier to explain at home or in classrooms.

Visit NetSmartz →

Thorn

Thorn builds technology to identify, report, and disrupt online child sexual exploitation. Their research explains how sextortion, CSAM distribution, and online grooming evolve, and their family guides break down these threats in clear, compassionate language. Thorn also shares data-backed insights from investigations and tech collaboration to help caregivers understand how modern exploitation operates and how to support kids experiencing digital pressure or harm.

Visit thorn.org →

Safe Surfin Foundation

Safe Surfin is a nonprofit founded with strong law enforcement support, offering practical online safety education for families. Their materials cover cyberbullying, predatory behavior, pornography exposure, and responsible social media use. Safe Surfin frequently partners with sheriffs' offices, schools, and youth groups, making it a solid option for parents looking for trustworthy, law-enforcement-aligned resources.

Visit safesurfin.org →

Enough Is Enough / InternetSafety101

Enough Is Enough focuses on preventing online pornography exposure, exploitation, and digital abuse. Their InternetSafety101 program provides parents with tutorials, conversation starters, and scenario-based guidance for handling explicit content, risky communication, and peer pressure. They also advocate for stronger industry safeguards and offer practical steps families can take to reduce exposure across devices and apps.

Visit internetsafety101.org →

Common Sense Media

Common Sense Media provides age-based reviews of apps, games, movies, and shows using child-development criteria, not marketing language. Their platform helps parents understand what their kids might encounter — from chat features to mature content to data collection. They also produce digital citizenship lessons used widely in schools, making their recommendations both parent-friendly and classroom-aligned.

Visit commonsensemedia.org →

Trusted Educators & Influencers

Why I Trust These Educators

There’s no shortage of opinions online about kids and screens. These educators and organizations are here because they are consistent, evidence-informed, transparent about their methods, and align with a child-safety-first mindset. I may not agree with every single take they have, but they take accuracy and protection seriously.

Dr. Lisa Damour

Dr. Lisa Damour is a clinical psychologist known for translating adolescent brain science into practical advice for families. Her work explains how stress, social pressure, and emotional development shape teens’ online behavior. She offers grounded, evidence-based explanations of why teens react strongly to digital conflict, how they process online feedback, and how parents can support emotional regulation in the digital age.

Visit drlisadamour.com →

SmartSocial

SmartSocial provides app-by-app safety tutorials that break down risks, hidden features, communication pathways, and recommended settings. Their parent guides explain how each platform works behind the scenes, what unsafe interactions look like, and how to talk to kids about reputation, privacy, and digital balance. Many schools use SmartSocial for parent education nights because of its clarity and real-world examples.

Visit smartsocial.com →

Bark Blog

The Bark Blog publishes up-to-date insights on online behavior trends, mental health patterns, new app risks, and the ways kids communicate across platforms. Because Bark monitors millions of child accounts (with parent permission), their blog often identifies emerging threats early — from slang shifts to new workaround behaviors. Their content gives parents a “ground-level” view of how kids actually use technology.

Visit bark.us/blog →

Protect Young Eyes

Protect Young Eyes offers deeply practical app reviews, device setup guides, router configurations, and real-world testing of parental controls. Their approach blends technical know-how with empathy for family dynamics, helping parents create guardrails that actually work. They’re especially useful for multi-device homes or parents who want to lock down hardware and software the right way.

Visit protectyoungeyes.com →

Cyber Civics

Cyber Civics is a middle-school digital literacy curriculum used across the U.S. to teach critical thinking, online ethics, privacy awareness, and responsible digital participation. Their approach helps kids understand not just rules, but the “why” behind them — making it easier for families to raise thoughtful, resilient digital citizens who can evaluate information, manage peer interactions, and recognize online risks.

Visit cybercivics.com →

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