T(w)eens, Phones, AI, and Social Media

Do you have a kid that is begging for a phone or cannot get off of one? Are you feeling lost in light of all the supervision, parental control and other tools, different for each app and buried 5 settings down? Have you been concerned about your kid getting addicted, exposed to harmful content, or getting bullied? Whether you read every chat thread, are strictly no phone, or are hands off and trust your kiddo to talk to you, let's chat and form a village of mutual advice, support, and care.

I am Anneke, a local mom of two girls aged 8 and 12 (and two teen bonus kids). I worked for a major social media company for 7 years as a researcher, the last two years on age assurance on the Youth Well-Being team. I do certainly not have all the answers and I am still figuring out the right approach for my own kids. But I do have some insights I am happy to share. I am also in the process of starting a (nonprofit? public benefit corporation? social movement?) to help inform better laws, safety systems for kids that put parents in the center and respect both parents and kids, and be an advocate for child safety. This is me building my informal, local village of friends who're in it with me. <3

I welcome all types of parents and guardians but am particularly looking to connect with parents of middle and early high school.