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Is the smartphone the greatest educational tool ever created? In today’s episode, Kelly counters Dr. Peter Gray’s claim, arguing that smartphones provide information and convenience, which are not the same as education. Even if you don’t define education as structured, systematic instruction by adults, the smartphone still isn’t a tool that positively shapes a child’s character, work ethic, and spiritual wisdom. Books referenced: The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids’ Learning and How to Help Them Thrive Again Product referenced: Leap Frog Magical Adventures Globe Articles referenced: Helping Kids (and Ourselves) Use Smartphones Safely Self-Directed Education: What Is It and How Does It Work? What does the Bible say about Education? Cambridge Dictionary: Education Scripture referenced: Proverbs 1:7 Proverbs 18:15 1 Corinthians 8:1 Acts 22:3 Acts: 17:28 Titus 1:12 1 Timothy 1:16 2 Timothy 3:7 Psalm 1:2 James 1:5 Jeremiah 17:9 Need a kids-safe phone? Pinwheel is our favorite! Book a Speaking Event!! Buy the NEWLY UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated) Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups. Check out our brand new Brave Parenting Merch Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s happening without social media – a win for everyone!

A smartphone lets you document life with an ever-present camera and note-taking capabilities. Is this something beneficial for kids? Will it build character? Will it help them be present and more aware of their reality? On the other hand, what does growing up not having access to these smartphone features lead to? Will they be worse off? Have less documented memories? In today’s episode, Kelly evaluates this claimed benefit of “documentation” from both Dr. Peter Gray’s perspective and historical and biblical perspectives. Articles referenced: Helping Kids (and Ourselves) Use Smartphones Safely Mobile Photography Stats for 2026 What Selfies are Doing to Self-Esteem Junk Journaling Camp Snap Camera Camp Snap Video Camera Scripture referenced: Deuteronomy 6:6-7 Matthew 6:1 Galatians 1:10 1 Peter 3:3-4 1 Corinthians 10:31 John 13:34 Galatians 5:13 Romans 12:10 Colossians 3:16 1 Corinthians 13:6 Proverbs 6:16-19 Need a kids-safe phone? Pinwheel is our favorite! Book a Speaking Event!! Buy the NEWLY UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated) Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups. Check out our brand new Brave Parenting Merch Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s happening without social media – a win for everyone!

The smartphone is an undeniable benefit to adult drivers navigating in their vehicles. But is it equally beneficial for kids who cannot drive yet? Would using smartphone navigation displace formative and fundamental lessons a child is meant to learn while growing up? Even more, are God’s “directions” and “way” missed when reliance rests on technology? In today’s episode, Kelly evaluates this claimed benefit of “navigation” from both Dr. Peter Gray’s perspective and historical and biblical perspectives Articles referenced: Helping Kids (and Ourselves) Use Smartphones Safely Scripture referenced: Hebrews 5:14 Proverbs 22:3 Psalms 119:105 Psalms 119:133 Psalms 32:8 Psalms 1:1 Jeremiah 6:16 Isaiah 30:21 Deuteronomy 5:32-33 Proverbs 4:27 Luke 15:4-7 Isaiah 53:6 Psalms 119:176 Ezekiel 34:11-16 Matthew 7:1-14 Proverbs 14:12 Galatians 5:16 Ephesians 4:1 Colossians 2:6 Proverbs 16:9 Proverbs 20:24 Psalms 37:23-24 1 Corinthians 10:23 Book a Speaking Event!! Buy the NEWLY UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated) Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups. Check out our brand new Brave Parenting Merch Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s happening without social media – a win for everyone!

Does having a smartphone during childhood make a child “safer” when they are outdoors?  Is having access to a flashlight, GPS, and a phone to call 911 an essential addition to a child’s outdoor play? What are the downsides or detriments to having a smartphone while playing outdoors? Will children play outdoors as much if they have a smartphone? In today’s episode, Kelly evaluates this claimed benefit from both Dr. Peter Gray’s perspective and historical and biblical perspectives. Articles referenced: Helping Kids (and Ourselves) Use Smartphones Safely Why Did Teen Suicides (Especially for Boys) Decline Sharply from 1990 to 2005? The Age Four Transition into Responsible Childhood The Many Benefits of Video Games Risky Play: Why Children Seek it and Need it Scripture referenced: Psalm 119:89 1 Thessalonians 5:21 Matthew 5:45 Proverbs 22:3 1 Corinthians 6:12 Romans 5:3-4 Book a Speaking Event!! Buy the NEWLY UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated) Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups. Check out our brand new Brave Parenting Merch Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s happening without social media – a win for everyone!

The verdict of the landmark social media addiction/harms trial came back GUILTY. For more than a decade, those who spoke out against social media and its harm to children were accused of “moral panic.” While there was always an urgency to warn others, it was never fear or panic. But the persuasive and personalized design features embedded in social media platforms remain a moral problem in our society. Now, finally, we are starting to see some moral accountability. Articles referenced: What did jury decide in social media case against Meta and Google? Jury Finds Instagram and YouTube Liable in a Landmark Social Media Addiction Trial What is tech addiction? A court ruling makes it Big Tech’s next big problem Scripture referenced: Ezekiel 14:3 Ecclesiastes 1:9 1 John 2:15-17 Colossians 3:5 Proverbs 4:23 Romans 12:2 John 8:44 John 10:10 Book a Speaking Event!! Buy the NEWLY UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated) Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups. Check out our brand new Brave Parenting Merch Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s happening without social media – a win for everyone!

Many tech advocates and secular experts believe and promote the idea that children should have their own smartphones. They tout the benefits of self-expression (Ep. 212), education, and outdoor safety. Are these benefits really beneficial? Or, are they just convenient? Because Brave Parenting recommends delaying smartphones until age 16, there’s a full decade gap between their recommendations and ours. This episode is the INTRODUCTION to a series of 10 podcasts evaluating whether the claimed benefits are beneficial from a biblical and discipleship standpoint. While there are many voices promoting that kids have their own smartphones, Kelly will evaluate the list published by Dr. Peter Gray in his Play Makes Us Human Substack titled “Helping Kids (and Ourselves) Use Smartphones Safely.” In this article, he lists “9 Benefits for Kids of Smartphone Ownership.” Today, we’ll cover how the secular world aims to desensitize kids to online content, the background and beliefs of Dr. Peter Gray, and his views on the potential risks or harms of smartphone ownership. Kelly evaluates each potential harm so that we can all begin to think biblically (rather than “scientifically”) about what smartphones do to children. Ultimately, it is about understanding that what “experts” and “scientists” conclude will always be skewed because they do not see humans as Image-bearers who are with sinful hearts. Articles referenced: Helping Kids (and Ourselves) Use Smartphones Safely Children Should be Outside for 4-6 Hours Every Day Scripture referenced: Psalm 19:1-3 Galatians 5:16-17 James 1:14-15, 12 Book a Speaking Event!! Buy the NEWLY UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated) Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups. Check out our brand new Brave Parenting Merch Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s happening without social media – a win for everyone!

A landmark social media addiction trial is happening in California. Meta (Instagram) and Google (YouTube) versus a child who got captured by the content-driven life, which drove her to mental illness and suicidal thoughts. When YouTube VP Chrisos Goodrow took the stand, he noted that they don’t want people addicted to YouTube any more than they’re addicted to reading….” Is YouTube neutral? Sure, it can be used as a utility for learning, but in the hands of kids who want to be seen, heard, validated, and viral – is this platform actually in the same category as books? Articles referenced: YouTube Exec Says Goal Was Viewer Value Not Addiction Scripture referenced: 1 Corinthians 6:12 Book a Speaking Event!! Buy the NEWLY UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated) Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups. Check out our brand new Brave Parenting Merch Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s happening without social media – a win for everyone!

There is a short walk between video games and gambling. The risk-reward and microtransaction economy mirrors casinos. Now, with the rise of sports betting apps and prediction market platforms like Kalshi, teens are falling into “get rich quick” gambling schemes. They are being fed a lie that the modern economy and market no longer reward prudence and delayed gratification. Of course, this issue runs much deeper than apps and games – it’s a worldview and anthropological issue about what it means to be human. In this episode, Kelly explains the growing and concerning trend of gablification and offers wisdom and next steps for parents. Articles referenced: Brave Parenting Guide to Sports Betting Apps Gen Z is Playing the Economy Like a Casino Financial nihilism: Gen Z gambling meme stock options (Recently Renamed: Why My Generation is Turning to Financial Nihilism) Common Sense Media: Understanding Gambling Among Adolescent Boys Hooked and Hustled: The Predatory Allure of Gamblified Finance Articles that are worthy of reading that were released after this episode was recorded: Women Wanted: Kalshi Pushes to Expand Far Beyond Sport Bets Wanna Bet? How Polymarket and Kalshi are Gamifying Truth Scripture referenced: Genesis 2:3 Genesis 3 Proverbs 8:12 Proverbs 27:12 Proverbs 13:16 Proverbs 21:25 2 Thessalonians 3:10 Colossians 3:23 Ecclesiastes 5:10, 14, 18 Ecclesiastes 8:7 Proverbs 1:7 Book a Speaking Event!! Buy the NEWLY UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated) Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups. Check out our brand new Brave Parenting Merch Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s happening without social media – a win for everyone!

Flowing from the idea that children need to express themselves online to form an identity, video game avatars serve as an introductory and primary portal for this. The cosmetic economy of avatar customization generates billions in revenue for game makers, while users pay and play their way into discovering their identity. The ability to customize your appearance in the game isn’t just a fun feature. As we reveal in this episode, avatar customization can shape children’s real-world identities. But identities are not created or curated – they are given by God. This is one more way video games disciple children away from the gospel and into a self-above-all-else, unbiblical worldview. Listen in as we inform and equip parents to know about and act against this unseen evil. Article references: Avatars in Gaming: How Roblox and Fortnite are redefining digital identity The Joy and Liberation of Customizing Your Avatar The Art of Avatar Creation Understanding Children’s Avatar Making in Social Online Games Young People and Gender Identity: Subverting the ‘body’ in massively multi-player online role-playing games The Role of the Avatar in Gaming for Trans and Gender Diverse Young People The Impact of Avatars on Self-Perception and Identity in Gaming “I am the character, the character is me”: A thematic analysis of the user-avatar relationship in videogames Gaming Disorder: A systematic review exploring the user-avatar relationship in videogames Scripture References: Genesis 1:27 2 Corinthians 5:17 Colossians 3:3 Romans 1:21 1 Corinthians 6:20 Jeremiah 17:9 Proverbs 4:23 Matthew 5:28 Mark 7:21-23 Galatians 6:8 John 17:17 John 8:32 Luke 12:15 Hebrews 13:5 1 Timothy 6:17-19 Genesis 2:15 Mark 9:42 Genesis 1:28 Psalm 139 Proverbs 3:5 Psalm 5:5 Psalm 11:5 Galatians 2:20 Romans 12:2 Acts 17:26 Ephesians 2:10 Esther 4:14 John 16:33   Book a Speaking Event!! Buy the NEWLY UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated) Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups. Check out our brand new Brave Parenting Merch Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s happening without social media – a win for everyone!

The freedom of self-expression has become a catch-all justification for everything done online. Why should children be allowed to have social media at a young age? Because they need to express themselves! Mark Zuckerberg even used this justification of ‘self-expression’ under oath in the landmark social media addiction trial. In this episode, Kelly exposes how ‘self-expression’ has been hijacked to exploit children and steal childhood. What was once “play” is now “performance,” and what used to be “creativity” is now “content.” This is a foundational episode that helps parents understand the larger cultural narrative at play. Also, upcoming episodes build on this idea that ‘self-expression’ is a necessary part of childhood. Articles referenced: Different Creative Playgrounds: Use Social Media for Creative Development Kids Mental Health Foundation: Kids and Social Media What kids are actually doing on social media and why that matters How Online Communities Can Help Children The New Era of Self-Expression: How the next generation are tackling social media, creativity, and authenticity Social Media and Mental Health in Children and Teens Unlock the Power of Self-Expression Scripture referenced: Genesis 1:27 Ephesians 2:10 Deuteronomy 6:5-7 Proverbs 22:6 Matthew 6:1 Acts 2 Proverbs 22:15 Book a Speaking Event!! Buy the NEWLY UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated) Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups. Check out our brand new Brave Parenting Merch Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s happening without social media – a win for everyone!

Meta Ray-Ban Smart glasses have exploded in popularity. They allow people to film strangers without consent or even their awareness, which means that ordinary public interactions can now be turned into social media content.  How are Christian parents to think about this latest tech gadget? And strangers becoming content? Articles referenced: Pranksters and pickup artists are using Meta Ray-Ban glasses to harass strangers for content So-called ‘manfluencers’ are filming themselves trying to pick up women. Smart glasses are their perfect tool Scripture referenced: Genesis 1:26-27 Genesis 9:6 James 3:9 Matthew 22:37-40 Philippians 2:3-4 Romans 2:10 Matthew 6:1-6 John 12:43 Galatians 1:10 1 Peter 1:14-16 Romans 12:1-2   Book a Speaking Event!! Buy the NEWLY UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated) Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups. Check out our brand new Brave Parenting Merch Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s happening without social media – a win for everyone!

Generative AI apps such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, and Claude have rapidly become the go-to parenting sages. Every type of parenting question can be answered efficiently and with (what sounds like) expertise.  Undoubtedly, these apps offer parents help during stressful times. But is this the way God intends for us to receive parenting advice and practical wisdom? What is lost when human relationships and struggle are removed from the parenting equation? Articles referenced: OpenAI CEO Can’t Imagine Parenting Without AI I Co-Parent with ChatGPT – I love turning off my brain and letting AI help raise my child Scripture referenced: Genesis 3 Deuteronomy 32:7 James 1:2-4   Book a Speaking Event!! Buy the NEWLY UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated) Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups. Check out our brand new Brave Parenting Merch Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s happening without social media – a win for everyone!

Often, apps begin with noble intentions of “connection” or “education.” While they promise to be different, they inevitably resort to classic tactics for maximum engagement: streaks, coins, leaderboards, FOMO, and notifications. In this episode, Kelly uncovers this trend using Duolingo and Zigazoo as examples. This trend of app devolution is important for parents to understand. You may not be able to keep track of every app update, but you know your child, and you can recognize when something has changed. Articles referenced: Brave Parenting Guide to Duolingo Brave Parenting Guide to Zigazoo TED Talk: How to Make Learning as Addictive as Social Media How Machine Learning Supercharged Our Revenue by Millions (Duolingo Blog) Scripture referenced: 1 Thes 5:4-6 1 Thes 5:19-21 1 Peter 5:8 Matt 18:8-9 ⇒ DOWNLOAD: App Evaluation & Test Everything Guide Book a Speaking Event!! Buy the NEWLY UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated) Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups. Check out our brand new Brave Parenting Merch Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s happening without social media – a win for everyone!

After years of doing nothing, Big Tech social platforms started releasing new “teen safety” and “parental controls” to show how much they care about and prioritize children’s safety. The problem with these new safety features is that they are not enough. It’s the design of social media and games that creates spaces of chaos where everyone does what is right in their own eyes. Articles referenced: Time Limits for YouTube Shorts Scrolling Deeper Insights with Snapchat’s New Family Center Features Roblox’s AI-Powered Age Verification TikTok to Tighten Age Checks in Europe Meta Pauses Teen Access to AI Characters Instagram is Testing a New Definition of ‘Friends’ Scripture referenced: Judges 21:25 Book a Speaking Event!! Buy the NEWLY UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated) Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups. Check out our brand new Brave Parenting Merch Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s happening without social media – a win for everyone!

In today’s Brave Briefing, Kelly reviews the new book, The Amazing Generation by Jonathon Haidt and Catherine Price. Written for a Gen Alpha audience, this book aims to inspire rebels who don’t let technology use them. This book serves almost as a hopeful sequel to The Anxious Generation, which highlighted the harms done to Gen Z by online media and technology.  Listen in to this brief episode to get our take on this book. Get The Amazing Generation on Amazon. Book a Speaking Event!! Buy the NEWLY UPDATED book: Managing Media Creating Character (2024 Revised & Updated) Get Kelly’s new Study Guide & Workbook, with video teachings for small groups. Check out our brand new Brave Parenting Merch Sign up for the Brave Bullet Points newsletter! This helps us communicate what’s happening without social media – a win for everyone!