Educate and Empower Kids

06/02/2026

It’s time to turn this ship around.

"Study after study shows that students' comprehension is better when they read printed material, rather than content on screens," writes Kara Alaimo, a professor of communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University.

"Similarly, they comprehend more when they write notes by hand rather than typing them." | Analysis https://cnn.it/4v17Lbv

05/29/2026

In a world full of confusing and often harmful information, the most powerful thing you can do is open the door to honest, age-appropriate conversations at home. 30 Days of S*x Talks gives you everything you need to do exactly that — one day at a time.

Because the goal isn’t just one talk. It’s a home where your child knows they can ALWAYS come to you. 🏡

👉 Tap the link in bio to grab your copy.

*xEducationForKids *xTalks

05/26/2026

An important read!

A colorful game for children. A hunting ground for predators. And a company that keeps choosing profit over protection.

05/18/2026

If you were to open your preferred app store right now, you would be given thousands of apps to choose from. The designers of these apps and games want their apps to be sold. However, when on the app, there is persuasive design, dark patterns, and continuous feeds to keep children engaged far beyond what most adults can even resist, let alone kids (5Rights Foundation, 2023).

There really is no incentive for designers to be honest and truthful in the intent or content of their apps. For this reason, parents are left to make educated guesses on what the app or game actually does, or even what the possible risks may be. Expecting parents, alone, to prevent systems optimized by behavioral scientists and AI to maximize “time on device” is unrealistic and shifts any responsibility away from the actual creators of the digital environment.

Parents, you are not failing. You are fighting — every single day — against systems that were engineered by behavioral scientists, fueled by AI, and optimized to keep your children engaged at any cost. That is not a fair fight, and it was never meant to be one.

The App Store Accountability Act doesn’t replace your role as a parent. It gives you a real chance to actually do it. Age verification, genuine parental consent, clear information, these are the basic tools families deserve. If you believe children should be protected both offline and on, it’s time to tell your legislators. Ask them to bring the App Store Accountability Act to your state. Because our kids shouldn’t have to wait for Big Tech to grow a conscience. Read more—link in bio

05/12/2026

There were mothers in DC today carrying photos of children who should still be alive.

Children lost to online harms in a world where social media platforms and app stores have been allowed to operate with far too few safeguards for kids.

I stood with these families today to support the passage of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), because parents should not have to bury children while tech companies continue insisting self-regulation is enough.

It isn’t enough.

Apps designed for endless engagement.
Algorithms pushing harmful content.
Predators finding children online.
Addictive systems keeping kids scrolling longer and longer.
App stores handing powerful platforms to minors with almost no meaningful accountability.

And meanwhile, parents are told to simply “do better.”

No. We need better systems too.

Today, Ted Cruz committed to moving KOSA forward. That matters. But public pressure matters too.

And today is my birthday. If you want to give me a gift, please share this post in honor of these mothers and the children they fight for every single day.

Children deserve guardrails.
Families deserve support.
And Big Tech should not be above accountability.

05/07/2026

Please don't be fooled by the name.
The “Parents Over Platforms Act” sounds pro-parent, but it is backed by Google, Apple, and tech trade groups because it protects Big Tech from stronger accountability.
Congress should reject POPA and support real child online safety.


https://open.substack.com/pub/childfirstpolicycenter/p/they-named-it-parents-over-platforms?r=74h3tb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

05/06/2026

Parents are told to monitor more.
Supervise better.
Set more rules.
Have more conversations.

And yes, parenting matters.

But parents cannot single-handedly redesign billion-dollar platforms built to capture children’s attention, collect their data, and keep them scrolling.

That is not a parenting failure.
That is a system failure.

When an app is labeled “safe for kids,” parents should be able to trust that the label actually means something.

Right now, too often, it doesn’t.

Children deserve more than warning labels and broken age ratings. They deserve real safety standards, real accountability, and systems designed with their wellbeing in mind.

This is why the App Store Accountability Act matters.

It puts responsibility where it belongs: not only on parents, but on the platforms distributing products to children.

Parents have done enough blaming themselves. It’s time to hold platforms accountable.

https://open.substack.com/pub/educateempowerkids/p/good-parents-cant-fix-bad-systems?r=drapl&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true