Is your kid falling for scams?

Hello everyone! And Happy (Almost) Thanksgiving to all of our friends in the US. While we celebrated our version of Thanksgiving last month here in Canada, we’re never going to pass up an opportunity to express our gratitude for all of you.

No matter who you are, what your parenting style is, or how often your teen rolls their eyes at you…we know you’re doing your best because you showed up here, today, ready to learn. You’re a rockstar for that and we’re so thankful for you hanging out with us! 🦃🧡

What To Know About Snapchat Scams

This one is pretty unsettling—scammers are now taking advantage of young boys using Snapchat. We’ll explain: Scammers are posing as the opposite sex (so a young girl if their target is a young boy, for example) on Snapchat, and entering into fake relationships with young kids. They then send fake nude photos to their target and demand real nude photos in return. Once they get the target's nude, they threaten to send it to all of that child’s friends unless they pay them money. If they don’t? The scammer releases the child’s nude photos.

And yes…this has happened in our community.

So what are we supposed to do about this as parents? We talked about it in our community for parents of teens and tweens, the Common Parent. Here’s a glimpse of that conversation:

Want more tips on how to help your kids use tech the right way? Join the Common Parent (30 days free!) and check out the tons of information and interviews we have about cyber safety.

This Dad Is Speaking Up for LGBTQ+ Kids

“You are never going to find a right way to do the wrong thing.” We loved this dad’s passionate speech advocating for the rights of LGTBQ+ kids in schools in his home state of Virginia. He’s taking on what he called “discriminatory policies” to fight for his trans daughter’s rights in public schools. 👏

How (and How Not) to Help Depressed Teens

We’ve got some food for thought: What’s the best way to help depressed teenagers? According to an Australian study in the journal Behavior Research and Therapy, it might not be through the so-called “light touch” interventions like TikToks from Harvard’s School of Public Health or grief workshops in middle school. In fact, those methods might actually make teen depression worse.

This piece in the NYT explores how we can really make a difference for teens and tweens struggling with mental health. What do you think?

Your Guide to Being a Tech Savvy Parent

Our kids are growing up in a digital world, whether we like it or not. They’re trying to figure out who they are in a hyper-connected environment where everyone is watching. So? It’s more important than ever for parents to understand the technology their kids are using, the content they could potentially be exposed to, and how to guide them to become responsible digital citizens.

In our most recent interview for the Common Parent with Dr. Devorah Heitner, we explore her research-backed strategies and advice parents can use to help their kids navigate boundaries, privacy, and reputation in their digital world. All the more important given that top story today, right?

Listen to the episode here. 🧠

The perfect recs to get your whole family—no matter their age or their response to big groups of people or their love for chicken fingers—ready for the holidays.

• The best way to plan ahead for Thanksgiving dinner if you’ve got a picky eater on your hands.

• Have you heard of “pregaming” your kids to be around big groups? Kind of love this idea…and its new definition for the word pregaming.

• 27 fun activities for your kids’ table (or adults’ table, we won’t tattle on you).

• And once the leftovers are packed up and the dishes are in the dishwasher…we’ve got the best Christmas movies for your teens to get ’em in the holiday mood.