We help families, schools, and churches create safer digital spaces. Live talks: kids K-12, staff, and parents. Curriculum, app & device guides. Become a PYE member! #delayistheway
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🛡️ PYE Download - October 2026
Published about 19 hours ago • 3 min read
The PYE Download: October 22, 2026
Hello! Once a month, we download the digital news that impacts your family, update you on what the Protect Young Eyes team is up to, and end with a note from Chris.
We hope our research helps you feel informed and confident, and that our work with schools, churches, and non-profits is motivating.
Thank you for reading this!
The latest news:
😳 ChatGPT's teen mode still isn't safe for teens. Testing by the NY Times proved it's easy to make it cheat and miss hints at self-harm. Our take? Chatbots like ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, and Gemini should only be used with supervision. They're still unsafe.
📣 Meta found guilty. Again. Is $25B enough? A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion for deceiving users about its data privacy practices. Our take? Their stock price went up, so it's still not enough. Add two zeroes, and we might get there. The scale of societal harm Meta has caused is hard to fathom.
📚 Reading on a screen is inferior to paper. Just follow the science! Even for adults. We recall more when turning pages. Our take? Any early elementary school teacher already knows this. Kids' brains light up when reading alongside a caring adult!
🧱 More adults are playing with Legos! I can attest to this. My mom likes building their flowers! Were you a Lego kid?
📱Apple's iOS 27 parental controls are still a mess. Apple admits the rollout was flawed. Our take? We'll update our popular iPhone guide (bookmark) after the next release (iOS 27.2). Until then, you can stick with the iOS 26 controls, or disconnect your child from Family Sharing, and update just their phone to iOS 27.
🎰 Gambling and sports betting ads are taking over sports. A long-time ESPN producer quit because the company now feels like a sportsbook. Our take? I work with a school that tells me, "All the boys talk about sports betting." My posts on FB and IG got strong reactions. Let's tackle this head-on (ideas in the posts).
🤯 NBC found that some kids watch too much YouTube at school. A 6th grader watched 2,204 videos in 11 months - 21 were educational. Our take? Not every child with YouTube scrolls. But if even 10% of all kids watch non-educational videos, is it worth it? We've decided it isn't.
🔥 More research: remove phones in school = small academic gains. My friend, Dr. Mitch Prinstein, co-wrote a policy brief with more support for bell-to-bell restrictions. Our take? Confirmation!
We joined 12 other leading orgs and sent an open letter to the 150 largest American school districts, asking them to disable YouTube and Gemini AI on school-issued devices.
We've launched three new 60-minute sessions for parents. For schools that can't make an in-person session happen, we still want to create safer digital spaces! Topics: AI & The Family, YouTube & Roblox, Early Childhood Screen Time.
I delivered a keynote to independent school leaders in Canmore, Alberta. Title: Fragile Genius: Leading Wise Students in a Wild Digital World. Each leader received a signed copy of my book! And I snuck in 40 km (24 miles) of hiking. What an incredible place!
I received this message last night from a principal: "We also purchased your new book with some grant money - one copy for each family!" I loved signing these 150 copies in the picture for principals in Canada. It's a low-lift way to spark parent conversation!
"Don’t ever take for granted what we’re up against: Your child is battling against MIT-trained software engineers who spend their careers figuring out how to capture attention and affection. Our kids don’t stand a chance alone. And their hearts are no match for a parent who responds with nothing but frustration." pg. 18, 5-Habits of the Tech-Ready Family
As the technology in their pockets gets smarter, let's remember, "It's not their fault." That doesn't mean no consequences. It means no shame, disappointment, or blame when our amazing kids stumble in the face of insane technology.
There will be a consequence. "Because what kind of parent would I be if I let you keep the snake that just bit you?" But grace first. Maybe keep John 1:14 in mind.
If you find yourself stuck in the madness of digital parenting, whatever you need, we're here to help. Don't ever hesitate to connect through our website. Michele will ensure you're cared for.
Parenting with you! Chris & PYE #delayistheway
P.S. School and ministry leaders! If you want to share this newsletter with your parents, please use this direct link in your own newsletter, app, or social media!
We help families, schools, and churches create safer digital spaces. Live talks: kids K-12, staff, and parents. Curriculum, app & device guides. Become a PYE member! #delayistheway
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The PYE Download: September 10, 2026 Hello! Once a month, we download the digital news that impacts your family, update you on what the Protect Young Eyes team is up to, and end with a note from Chris. We hope our research helps you feel informed and confident, and that our work with schools, churches, and non-profits is motivating. Thank you for reading this! The latest news: 😳 An Anthropic AI researcher sounds the alarm. “We really do earnestly believe A.I. could kill all humans!” This,...
