This week, Apple is releasing iOS 16. This is consistent with their pattern of rolling out significant iPhone and iPad changes each fall.

For parents, this change includes the first significant improvements to the usability of their Screen Time parental controls since its 2018 release. By “usability,” we mean making set-up easier for parents who give their children an iPhone for the first time. It also includes a really handy checklist for parents who haven’t changed Screen Time settings for a while.

Historically, setting up Screen Time has been difficult for many parents and caregivers. It’s a complaint we hear about often from our followers. And we agree. Sometimes requiring over 30 steps to get it right.

Our belief has always been, “Why isn’t setting up parental controls the easiest thing to do on an iPhone?” If Apple takes seriously the protection of millions of young people using iPhones and iPads, then make it dead-simple.

Read more here.

Growing up has always been a challenge, but it seems today’s kids are having an especially rough time. Anxiety, depression, and the youth suicide rate have been on the rise for the last decade, especially for girls and children of color. It’s safe to say that the need for easily accessible mental health tools that kids can use privately and safely is more critical than ever.

Everyone’s mental health journey is different. Talking with your child and getting professional help is the first and best course of action if you think they need it. But digital tools can be an added boost to get your kid through a tough time. They’re particularly helpful for kids who find it hard to reach out and ask for help.

Depending on your family’s needs, you can find apps and sites designed for immediate help, ongoing support, information, and positive mental health habits. If your kid is going to use any of these tools, it’s a good idea to review them yourself to see how they work and to check their privacy policies to learn how they handle sensitive information.

The Basics: Free and Confidential Support

Make sure your kid has access to immediate help in case they ever need it. Consider sitting down with them and adding these resources to their contacts.

Read more here. 

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrests in a news release, saying the operation was known as “Operation Fall Haul 2.” Over the course of the operation, investigators said that they identified as many as seven potential victims of human trafficking“ The online prostitution industry enables traffickers and allows for the continued victimization of those who are being trafficked,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at a news conference, WFTV reported. “Our goal is to identify victims, offer them help, and arrest those who are fueling the exploitation of human beings (Johns) and those profiting from the exploitation of human beings. Prostitution is not a victimless crime — it results in exploitation, disease, dysfunction, drug and alcohol addiction, violence and broken families.”

Read more here.

Do you know what your kids are watching? It’s 2022. A must.

And this from our partners at the Parents Television and Media Council:

Dear Friends, Lines are being drawn. Those who are on the side of faith and family, and those who are actively working to undermine both. Disney has made it clear which side they’re on. For years Disney got a pass because of the good will and pro-family legacy left by Walt Disney, but earlier this week I came across a cache of saved articles from 2017 with headlines like, “What Tween TV Teaches Kids: The Insidious Message of Disney and Nickelodeon” (that was from The Atlantic!), “Disney TV is Poisoning Your Daughters” (from LA Weekly!), “What Disney’s Horrible Tween Shows Taught Me About Parenting” (Village Voice!). No, the problems with Disney aren’t new. What IS new, is the degree to which they are thumbing their corporate nose at the very audience on whose backs the company was built: families. Parents across the country are awakening to what Disney now stands for, and the latest example comes via the debut of “Little Demon” on Disney-owned FXX. The program centers on a 13-year-old girl who has just discovered that her Wiccan mother slept with the devil and she is the antichrist. In just three 30-minute episodes, there has been animated female frontal nudity, at least 38 f-words, 35 s-words; vulgar slang references to male and female genitalia, incredibly vile sexual innuendo, graphic, gory violence like heads exploding, bodies mutilated and dismembered, blood everywhere… occult imagery, Christian-bashing, and to top it all off, a main character who gets turned-on by violent sex. A growing chorus of voices are joining PTC in condemning “Little Demon.” In a Facebook post that has reached over 6 million readers, Rep. Mike Johnson (LA-4) wrote about seeing a commercial for “Little Demon” at the end of an LSU football game. “I couldn’t get to the remote fast enough to shield my 11-year-old from the preview, and I wonder how many other children were exposed to it – and how many millions more will tune in to the new series, owned and marketed by Disney.” Disney knows that kids will see the ads. Disney knows the animated format and juvenile humor will attract them. And when a cartoon centers on the life of a young teenage girl, the only reasonable conclusion is that Disney is deliberately targeting children with this sick, twisted, demonic series. But together we can do something about it! That’s why I’m asking you, and all of your like-minded friends, family and associates, to take action today by contacting one of “Little Demon”’s frequent sponsors: Burger King. Click here to contact Burger King NOW! Help us make the “Little Demon” as toxic to sponsors as the content is toxic to America’s families. Please, take action today. Because Our Children Are Watching.

Jose Alfaro was 17 when his trafficker first began grooming him online. As a sexual abuse survivor who had been thrown out of his house by his father for being gay, he was in an extremely vulnerable situation, and his trafficker took advantage of his desperation. 

Targeting vulnerable youth 

Jason Daniel Gandy connected with Alfaro on a social media platform. He introduced himself as a rich entrepreneur and offered to help Alfaro. He claimed to have a nine-bedroom house in Austin, Texas, and said Alfaro could stay there. Feeling like he had nowhere else to go, Alfaro accepted his offer.  

Drawing on grooming techniques commonly used by traffickers, Gandy began to exert control over Alfaro. He gained his trust by presenting himself as a protector and confidant: he told the teen that he would help him finish school, find somewhere to live, and get a job.  

Shari Botwin, the author of Thriving After Trauma: Stories of Living and Healing explains to Rolling Stone:  

“Predators develop a bond with their victims by acting like good listeners who care deeply about the victim’s feelings or circumstances. Once they gain the trust of their victims, they fulfill their need. […] Victims of childhood abuse and abandonment are especially susceptible to trafficking due to feelings of unworthiness and shame.” 

Read more here.

LONDON — Meta was fined roughly $400 million for breaking European Union data privacy laws for its treatment of children’s data on Instagram, the latest in a series of steps by authorities in Europe and the United States to crack down on what information is collected and shared by companies about young people online.

Read More Here.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people between 10 to 24. Sometimes it feels as though your struggle is being underestimated by your age. But we hear you, and help is available for youth and anyone in crisis.

Ask for help. Don’t be afraid to reach out to friends and trusted adults in your life for support. Parents, you too. As questions. Make the call. A new three digit code went live in July 2022. You can call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline any time — calls are confidential. The greatest resource. is the Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Family conflicts, relationship hardships, school pressures, and discovering your identity can feel overwhelming and impossible to deal with alone. Losing relationships and important people in our lives can also feel overwhelming. Seeking out support can make these changes manageable. Make a Safety Plan. Just know that you are not alone. We’re all here for you.

Learn more here.

It’s 2022. It takes a Family. A complete family. Parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles, cousins and intimate family friends. We must create trust on the ground and come together as families. Strengthen our digital relationships and get rid of the “us-versus-them” mentality.

Please sign up for our Weekly Warrior Newsletter here. Full of news you must know, safety tips, resources, tools and take actions for you and your kids to keep everyone safe online and in real-time.