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, according to Evan Hubinger, who puts the risk of human extinction within the next decade at over 10%. Our take? Congress needs to get off the sidelines to regulate, and we need diplomacy now.

📣 Meta found guilty. But it wasn't enough. State Attorneys General settled with Meta for $17.1B and secured helpful product design changes. It's only a start. Our take? Parents, we have to own what we can control. But companies that harm children should suffer financial penalties with more zeroes. It's the only way to force real change.

🤖 New York is pausing AI in school. New York City Public Schools placed a one-year moratorium on student-facing generative AI for grades PK-8. Our take? GOOD. Students won't learn without exercising their brains. "Brains are built. Not born." - CJ Yatawara

📚 Global learning has plummeted since the early 2000's. Every three years, PISA measures learning in Math, Science, and Reading across 91 countries. Only Singapore, Japan, the UK, and Canada scored above average in all subjects. Our take? Kids go to school more than ever, but are performing worse. Hard to ignore the correlation with more tech use.

📱Sweeping iPhone parental control changes coming Monday. iOS 27 includes some of the most significant changes to Screen Time in years. Our take? Keep our free iPhone guide saved; we're updating it! Also, consider turning off Automatic Updates on your child's phone, because iOS updates can reset your parental controls. Choose to do it manually so you can check (explained here: IG, FB).

⭐️ Look for these upcoming resource updates:

• ​iPhone Setup Guide​
• New! Coverstar app review
• Parents are catching kids using Apple Maps to evade parental controls!
• Our popular Kid Phone Guide​
• Discussion questions for small groups and book clubs using 5 Habits of the Tech-Ready Family (Preview!).

What PYE is up to:

Speaking Out on EdTech Incredible momentum is building to scale back tech in learning. I shared what I'm seeing in schools with Nicki (Scrolling2Death) in her recent podcast series, also featuring Emily Cherkin, Dr. Jerad Cooney-Horvath, and Superintendent Dr. Taranto. Listen to the Podcast

Following Jesus in a Digital World Two weeks ago, I shared the weekend message at our church, and an incredible donor purchased a copy of my book for every family! We're "relaunching" 5 Habits next week! I'd love for you to read it. Grab Your Copy!

Speaking in Alberta I'm delivering a keynote to independent school leaders near Banff National Park (beautiful!) in October. Title: Fragile Genius: Leading Wise Students in a Wild Digital World. Each leader will also get a copy of my 5 Habits book! Learn About Keynotes

Upcoming speaking:

A busy fall is here! The PYE Master Calendar:

• Sept. 10, Pine Creek Elementary, MI
• Sept. 13, Lost River Church, TN
• Sept. 14, Focus on the Family, CO
• Sept. 15, Diocese of Gaylord, MI
• Sept. 16, Pennington Park Church, IN
• Sept. 18, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, IN
• Sept. 18, Cypress Lake UMC, FL
• Sept. 21,28 Hope Unexpected, MI
• Sept. 23, St. Mark's Episcopal, FL
• Sept. 23, St. Monica Catholic, MI
• Sept. 24, Chandler Woods Charter, MI
• Sept. 25, St. Robert Catholic, MI
• Sept. 27, The Church at Bradenton, FL
• Sept. 28, St. Michael Lutheran, MI
• Sept. 29, St. Anthony of Padua, MI
• Oct. 1, St. John School, MI
• Oct. 1, Thornapple MomCo, MI

​Email Michele to bring us to your community!

A note from Chris:

Reflection. Quiet. Nature. Adventure. Wild. Peace.

Right now, I'm reading Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey. It's a stunning masterpiece set in one of my favorite places on earth: Arches National Park. I only have 30 pages left. This morning, I told Andrea that I was sad it was almost done.

Imagine living in a trailer alone in the middle of the desert, occasionally interacting with tourists brave enough to venture in. No phone or TV. But full of life and peace, experiencing God's incredible creation. While reading, I've continually longed to rip off my socks, burst out the door, and climb something wild and rugged, never to open another email.

Do you feel it? That slight tarnish on human thriving because of our devices. "Vice" seems like a fitting, ironic component of the word. Necessary and bothersome. Convenient and compulsive. Helpful and harmful. Has anything in society ever been so mixed in its impact?

And that's how I feel with my adult brain! What are we doing to childhood? This one precious childhood. "We're rushing kids through childhood like there's somewhere better to be. There isn't. This is it." (Unknown)

You don't have to throw it all away. Just don't let it have dominion. Maybe look up into the sky in awe. Linger somewhere longer than usual. Stare into the eyes of an infant for at least 8 seconds (try not to tear up - little humans are incredible). Because our kids are watching us.

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!

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