Ep. 43 Kristen Jenson, founder of Defend Young Minds, shares tips and resources to empower kids and promote online safety.
Kristen Jenson, founder of Defend Young Minds, is a leader and a trailblazer in helping defend children from the harms of pornography. In this episode, Kristen shares about her unexpected “wild ride” of how she came to be involved in this line of work, and imparts valuable words of wisdom for parents, caregivers, and anyone invested in children’s wellbeing.
Kristen shares about the necessity of teaching children “Digital Defense Skills.” Kristen explains that children need three things in order to be able to defend themselves: a Definition, a Warning, and a Plan.
- Definition: Children need an age-appropriate definition of pornography which, while avoiding unnecessary details, allows them to recognize pornography if they see it. Recognizing it will allow them to then activate their “plan”.
- Warning: Children need to be taught about the harms of pornography and what it does to their brain. This must be done on an ongoing basis, with information that is suitable for the age and developmental stage of the child.
- Plan: Children need to have an “escape plan” of what to do if they see pornography. This plan should be practiced with parents or caregivers, much like a fire drill.
Kristen also speaks to the necessity of talking to kids about pornography early. As soon as the child is being exposed to the internet, it is time to start talking to them about pornography. Kristen has developed popular resources for talking to children as young as 3 years old, such as the book Good Pictures Bad Pictures Junior. We encourage you to see Kristen Jenson’s valuable resources here.
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Some resources specifically mentioned on this episode include:
- Books: Good Pictures Bad Pictures books can be purchased from Amazon, where they have been #1 Best Sellers. Find more information and links to purchase them at https://www.defendyoungminds.com/books/
- New book for therapists and educators: Good Pictures Bad Pictures Guidebook for Professionals: Therapeutic and Educational Interventions with Didactic, Kinesthetic and Artistic Applications
- Curriculum: Learn about our engaging new curriculum Brain Defense: Digital Safety at https://braindefense.org/
- Blog: Keep current with empowering articles on our blog at https://www.defendyoungminds.com/blog/
- Guides: Find our helpful downloadable guides at https://www.defendyoungminds.com/guides
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