Shows / Parenting in a Tech World
Parenting in a Tech World
Welcome to Parenting in a Tech World, the podcast for families raising kids in the digital age. Join Bark CMO Titania Jordan as she unpacks digital dangers, discusses the latest viral social media trends, and shares expert tips for helping protect kids online and in real life.
Episodes
- Parenting in a Tech World
“Are We Being Mean Parents?” Why This Pediatrician Held the Line on Screens
Screen time battles have become a nightly fight in many homes, and pediatricians are seeing the fallout in the exam room: kids who aren’t sleeping, struggle to…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Giving Foster Teens a Phone Without Losing Them to It
For teens in foster care, smartphone safety cuts both ways. No phone leaves them cut off from peers who live on Snapchat and Instagram, while an unmonitored…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Foster Kids Weren’t Allowed Phones. Here’s Why That Changed
For years, one Oregon foster care program kept kids and smartphones completely separate, until the kids themselves said a no-phone rule was reason enough to…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Parents Keep Asking Her for Permission to Say No
If you've ever felt like you need permission to take away your child's iPad or delete Snapchat from your 12-year-old's phone, you're not alone, and that…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Foster Kids Are Easy Targets for Predators. He Refused to Wait
Kids in foster care are among the most targeted groups for online predators and grooming, and taking their phones away often makes them less safe, not more…
- Parenting in a Tech World
The Sleepover Danger No One Warns Parents About
Sleepover safety today means more than sleeping bags and flashlights. It means knowing what happens to unsupervised phones, cameras, and internet access once…
- Parenting in a Tech World
The App Your Kid's Already On (And You're Not)
Discord is rated 17+ in the App Store, but kids can sign up at 13, a gap that leaves most parents feeling a step behind the moment their kid asks to join. This…
- Parenting in a Tech World
The Digital Delusion: Why Screens Are Failing Our Kids in School
Standardized test scores among American kids have been dropping for years, and one neuroscientist says classroom technology is a direct cause, not a…
- Parenting in a Tech World
No One Judges You Harder Than You Judge Yourself Online
Every month, 430 students at one Texas high school watched two of their own classmates lead an assembly on cyberbullying, online predators, and the gap between…
- Parenting in a Tech World
What's Really Happening on Your Kid's School Laptop
Cyberbullying, drug conversations, sextortion risk, and violent threats aren't just happening on your kid's phone, they're showing up on school-issued laptops…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Your Kid's Not the Only One Struggling With Screens
The teachers walking into classrooms right now grew up glued to screens too, and that's reshaping how teacher prep programs handle screen addiction, shortened…
- Parenting in a Tech World
The Real People Who Pack Your Child's Safety Every Day
Behind every Bark Phone, Watch, Home, or Sync that arrives on your doorstep, there's a team of real people, not robots, who packed it by hand. In this episode…
- Parenting in a Tech World
They're Hunting Predators So You Don't Have To
Online predators are actively targeting your kids right now, and two Michigan men decided they couldn't wait for the system to act. Jake Hockey and C.J. of…
- Parenting in a Tech World
The 3am Spiral: How Technology Is Lifting the Mental Load of Early Parenthood
The invisible mental load of early parenthood — tracking feeds, monitoring sleep, anticipating every need — is one of the most exhausting and…
- Parenting in a Tech World
His 17-Year-Old Son Died by Suicide After a Sextortion Scam. Now He's Changing the Law.
Financial sextortion is targeting teenage boys at an alarming rate — and most families have never heard of it until it's too late. In 2022, 17-year-old Gavin…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Diane Tarantini on Sibling Sexual Abuse, Teaching Kids About Grooming, and Breaking the Silence
Diane Tarantini is a survivor, author, and body safety educator whose work is bringing one of the most underreported forms of child sexual abuse into the open…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Jen Davidson on Keep Talking, Life Lesson Lunches, and Staying Connected When Kids Pull Away
Jen Davidson spent years raising two kids with a simple but powerful ritual — intentional conversations she called Life Lesson Lunches — and her grown children…
- Parenting in a Tech World
We Were the Kids You Monitored. Here's What Actually Helped.
What does it actually feel like to be the kid on the other side of all that well-intentioned parenting technology? Audra and Savanna grew up navigating…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Tim Tebow: What He's Seen on the Front Lines of Child Exploitation
Heisman Trophy winner and Tim Tebow Foundation founder Tim Tebow has spent years on the front lines of fighting child sexual exploitation — and what he's seen…
- Parenting in a Tech World
How to Break Your Kid's Phone Addiction Without a Fight
Catherine Price is an award-winning health and science journalist, #1 New York Times bestselling author, and founder of Screen/Life Balance — and she's here to…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Tech for Kids with Disabilities: What Helps and What Doesn't
Nicole Guysi is a Family Transition Navigator at Encircle Families — Arizona's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center — but she's also a…
- Parenting in a Tech World
She Traced the Teen Mental Health Collapse Back to Smartphones
Dr. Alison Yeung is a family physician and mom of two who built a community of 125,000+ followers after spending a decade watching adolescent mental health…
- Parenting in a Tech World
The $6M Verdict Against Meta and YouTube — What It Really Means
Laura Marquez-Garrett left a two-decade Big Law career to become one of the most powerful legal voices fighting for kids harmed by social media — and in March…
- Parenting in a Tech World
The Tech Gap: What Families Raising Kids with Disabilities Aren't Told
Chris Tiffany brings a rare dual perspective to his role as Executive Director of Encircle Families — he's both a former special education teacher and a parent…
- Parenting in a Tech World
What Cops See on the Front Lines of Online Child Exploitation
James Billig is Chief Compliance Officer at U-ACT (United Against Child Trafficking), a nonprofit equipping law enforcement and communities to fight online…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Why Your Kid Can't Put Down Their Phone — It's Brain Science
Dr. Carrie Mackensen is a clinical psychologist, parent coach, and founder of Successful Parent. With 25 years of experience and two boys of her own, she…
- Parenting in a Tech World
60% of Teen Girls Are Persistently Sad. She Built an App to Change That.
Juliette Blake, founder and CEO of Moxies, has been building for girls since she was 16. Now, as a millennial mom of three, she's created a safe-by-design…
- Parenting in a Tech World
What Are Teen Takeovers? The Dangerous Trend Parents Need to Know
Large gatherings of hundreds of teens are popping up in cities across the country — organized almost entirely through social media — and they're raising…
- Parenting in a Tech World
She Was a Senior Director at Meta. She Walked Away from Millions.
Kelly Stonelake spent nearly 15 years at Meta — rising to Director of Product Marketing and a senior role on Horizon Worlds — before becoming one of the most…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Is Roblox Safe for Kids? A State Attorney General Shares What He Found
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has made child safety a cornerstone of his work—from creating the state's first Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, which…
- Parenting in a Tech World
We Analyzed 11 Billion Kids' Online Activities. Here's What We Found.
Bark's 2025 Annual Report analyzed a record 11.1 billion online activities—and the findings reveal a troubling paradox. While predator alerts in monitored…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Smartphones Are Causing a Teen Mental Health Crisis — ft. Dr. Jean Twenge
Dr. Jean Twenge, psychologist and author of 10 Rules for Raising Kids in a High-Tech World, has spent decades studying how technology is reshaping childhood…
- Parenting in a Tech World
One Mom's Viral Post Forced Google to Reverse a Parental Controls Policy
Melissa McKay, president of the Digital Childhood Institute, made headlines when her viral post forced Google to reverse its policy of emailing kids…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Selma Blair on Raising a Teen in the Age of Social Media
Selma Blair gets candid about parenting her 14-year-old son in an always-connected world. She shares how she's navigated tech and social media as both a public…
- Parenting in a Tech World
How Sextortion Scammers Target Teens — and the Platforms That Let It Happen
Paul Raffile is a cybercrime expert and online safety advocate who's been on the front lines of catching sextortion scammers and exposing platform failures. He…
- Parenting in a Tech World
How Constant Notifications Are Making Your Whole Family Sick
Dr. Nidhi Gupta — physician, author of Calm the Noise, and founder of the Phreedom Foundation — breaks down how tech is impacting our health and what families…
- Parenting in a Tech World
The Family IT Guy on Cybersecurity, Parenting, and Keeping Families Safer Online
Ben Gillenwater — aka The Family IT Guy — brings 30 years of cybersecurity expertise to the parenting table. He shares how his background shaped the way he…
- Parenting in a Tech World
What Would Heather Dubrow Do: Digital Parenting Edition
Heather Dubrow, star of The Real Housewives of Orange County and mom of four, joins us to share her real-life wisdom on raising kids in the digital age. From…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Finding Other Parents Like You: How to Get Help Raising Kids with Mental Health Issues
Parenting a child with mental health challenges can feel isolating, but support is out there. Casie Fiorello from Other Parents Like Me shares her experiences…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Kim Gravel on Digital Safety, Social Media, and Real-Life Parenting
Kim Gravel gets real about parenting in an always-connected world. She shares how she talks to her kids about online safety, balances social media and privacy…
- Parenting in a Tech World
The Highs, Lows, and Whoas of 2025: Digital Parenting Edition
Kids and tech collided in big ways in 2025 — from viral slang taking over classrooms to major online safety laws reshaping the internet. We’re breaking down…
- Parenting in a Tech World
9 Red Flags Every Parent Needs to Know About Grooming
Sexual abuse prevention expert and safety educator Kimberly King shares how parents can have meaningful conversations about body safety and boundaries with…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Jenny McCarthy on Raising Kids in an Always-On World
Jenny McCarthy is a New York Times bestselling author, actress, and television host known for her humor, honesty, and passion for family life. A proud mom…
- Parenting in a Tech World
What If Online Safety Lessons Actually Worked? Inside One Program That Does
What if online safety lessons actually worked? In this episode, you’ll go behind the scenes with Bark’s Connected Communities team to see how they’re helping…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Safety Settings Every Parent Should Configure Before Kids Use New Devices
Before your kids power on their new holiday devices, set them up for safe, responsible use. We’ll cover the simple steps and settings that make a big…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Screen Time, Family Time, and Everything in Between with Tessa Stuckey, LPC
Licensed counselor and mom Tessa Stuckey joins us to share a grounded, compassionate look at what it really takes to raise emotionally healthy kids in a…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Hidden Apps Teens Use: What Parents Need to Know
Teens are getting creative when it comes to hiding content on their phones. From vault apps that look like calculators to hidden photo folders, it can be hard…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Live from Maine! 10 Years of Bark with Brian and Brandon
This episode was recorded live at Bark Week at the Cliff House in Maine with our CEO, Brian Bason, and CTO, Brandon Hilkert. We looked back on Bark’s journey…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Hope After Heartbreak: A Conversation with the Padillas
After losing their son and brother, Jack, to suicide, John and Rick Padilla transformed heartbreak into advocacy. In this moving conversation, they share how…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Meet the Moms Who Made a Kinder Messaging App for Kid
Raising kids in the digital age isn’t easy, but Sage Haven is making it a little kinder. Founders (and sisters!) Anne and Kate share how their messaging app…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Neurodivergent Parenting in a Tech World with Cindy Robinson
Cindy Robinson is an author, researcher, and neurodivergent life coach who works with individuals with ADHD. In this episode, she shares her perspective on…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Fatherhood Flow: Killer Mike Shares His Parenting Insights
Killer Mike shares his perspective on parenting in today’s world, offering advice for helping kids navigate both online and offline life. Listen in as he…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Digital Safety in Action: A Chat with Joshua & Brock of Parent ProTech
Today, we chat with Joshua and Brock from Parent ProTech, who equip parents and educators with expert-backed tools to keep kids safe online. They share…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Protecting Young Eyes with Chris McKenna
Today’s guest is Chris McKenna of Protect Young Eyes, a nonprofit dedicated to creating safer digital spaces for kids. Chris, a longtime friend and partner of…
- Parenting in a Tech World
The Safe House Project: Protecting Kids from Trafficking
Kristi Wells and Brittany Dunn of the Safe House Project share the urgent realities of child sex trafficking and how families and communities can support…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Bringing the Heat to Big Tech: A Conversation with Sarah Gardner
Sarah Gardner, founder of the Heat Initiative, joins us to discuss how her team is holding Big Tech accountable for child safety failures. From calling out…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Kris Perry on Helping Kids Thrive in a Digital World
Kris Perry, executive director of Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development, joins us to discuss how technology is shaping…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Titania and Sam have a chat with ChatGPT
ChatGPT is showing up in classrooms, homework, and even kids’ casual conversations — but how safe is it? In this episode, Titania and Sam put AI to the test…
- Parenting in a Tech World
The Power of Honest Parenting with Toni Collier
Toni Collier joins us to talk about parenting through the hard stuff in life. Learn how embracing your family's mess can actually help build stronger, more…
- Parenting in a Tech World
Preventing Addiction Before It Starts: Drugs, Kids, and the Modern Age with Dr. Zona
We're joined by Dr. Zona to learn how parents can get ahead of addiction by starting honest, informed conversations early. From what’s changed since we were…