What Are the Five Layers of Digital Protection That are Necessary in 2024?

Are you curious about how to armor your home against the digital dangers lurking in the Wi-Fi shadows? Join us as we unravel the secrets of safeguarding your family with Chris McKenna from Protect Young Eyes.

Chris McKenna, founder of Protect Young Eyes and a repeat guest expert in digital safety, shares his wisdom on the essential layers required for creating a tech-ready home. From building a strong foundation of digital trust through authentic relationships to mastering the intricacies of your home router, we explore actionable steps you can take to develop a robust digital protection strategy for your family. Whether you're a tech novice or a seasoned pro, Chris's insights will empower you to protect your children from potential online harm.

Join us as we equip you with faith-centered tools and expert guidance to raise digital-savvy children in a tech-driven world.

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Transcript

Mrs Kay: Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Ben Lippen Podcast. We are here again for the second episode in our series with Chris McKenna of Protect Young Eyes. If you didn't catch our last episode on this, please go back, have a listen. We talk about the biblical worldview of technology and what is a tech-ready home and how can we create it. But today we're going to be talking a little bit deeper into digital layers of protection, so I want to open up the floor to you, Chris, so you can share a little bit more about this subject.

Mr. Chris McKenna: Sure. So, in the first episode, where I talked about our five parts of a tech-ready home, I explained, right, I sort of apologized for my CPA brain that loves frameworks and pictures and flowcharts.  Well, you're going to get it again. This is a framework and a framework, right? So you have those five parts of the tech-ready home. But then the last one, right, is to diligently prevent harm. That's the fifth part of the tech-ready home, which diligently prevents harm. Well, how do you do that? You do that with layers of protection, five layers of protection, as a matter of fact.

People listening to this, I have a picture that we use in our talks and we share this on social media, but I'll do my best to describe it. Imagine a three-dimensional pyramid, right? Imagine the pyramids in Giza or whatever pyramid that you can think of, right, and then imagine that horizontally, it is split into five layers with four lines, so you have the widest at the bottom, and then it gets increasingly more narrow as you go up to the top. There's that point kind of triangle up at the top, but imagine there are five layers in this pyramid. These represent the five layers of protection and the pyramid is the way that we describe it, because they have decreasing influence over risk. In other words, the further up you go, the less we rely on them. They're still important, but everyone below it is stronger, right? So you have, at the very base, relationship. Relationship is the base to the five layers of protection, and this is where you build digital trust. This is where you pursue authentic connection. This is where you model the right behaviors. These are the things that build that relationship, because there are not enough software packages or toggles and switches that will help your kid be a safe kid online. I saw an illustration recently. It's like a dad going out and shooting hoops, thinking that he can eventually beat his son in basketball, and all that does is just prolong the inevitable, and that is, he's going to get dunked on.  It's just impossible to go toe to toe with parental controls. That's why the relationship is important. We need controls, but the relationship is there, right?

Next, on top of that, we have the Wi-Fi layer. Now, this is because in our homes, our Wi-Fi is connected to a ton of things. Now, I know kids have data plans. We'll get to that in just a minute. With smartphones, we'll get to that.

But for a lot of parents with younger kids. Most of the devices, almost all the devices they use are Wi-Fi dependent: Tablets, chromebooks, smart TVs, which are really just big smartphones hanging on the wall, right, these are all Wi-Fi dependent devices, because younger kids don't have data plans yet, right? Ipads and Kindles are all Wi-Fi-dependent devices, and so that means the router is the doorway. That's the only way it gets to the internet is by connecting to your router. We must have routers in our homes that are fully controlled, that are filtered, that you can turn off at night.  All of these things that you can check remotely through an app on your phone. That router layer is so important. It's also important to prevent unknown surprise devices from being used in your home. So let's say, you take all the devices away at night. Somebody sneaks in an iPhone from a friend, because in America we have a bit of a sickness we don't throw any of our old Apple products away, Erin, and so all of these old Apple products, we keep the boxes too. It's a weird phenomenon, right?

Mrs. Erin Kay: Yes

Mr. Chris McKenna: All of these old Apple products are just iPods waiting to connect to the internet. That old iPhone 6, that old iPhone 8, that old iPhone 6, that old iPhone 8, that old iPhone 12. If you just got the 16 and now you got an old 14 laying around, right? These are all internet ready devices that are supercomputers that we have put in our homes in drawers and just forget about them because we don't use them anymore. Kids still know they're there and kids hand them around to each other. So you could take a device away, take it away at night, even punish them.

But you need a router that would tell you if a new device enters your house and tries to use your network, even if it knows the password right. So mine is set up that if an IP address that it doesn't recognize, even if it knows the password, if it's a new IP address, every digital device that connects to the internet uses an IP address, a string of numbers and periods, to get to the internet. If my router doesn't recognize it, it can't get in. I get a notification on my phone. I have to let it in.

This is what is needed, right? So this is why it's not just a little kid thing, it's a kid thing in general. So that Wi-Fi layer is so important, um, and I think a lot of parents just totally underestimate [it]. They think it's I get it, it's technical and what could be shared with this? You know episode with all the families could be e-mailed out to all of your families there at, Ben Lippen, Erin, is a post that we have that explains how to figure out your router, how to determine what to do. Was it installed by your internet service provider? Do you know the difference between a modem and a router? Maybe you have a modem router combo? Then what do you do? What if you have AT&T U-verse and you're forced to use their dumb router, which doesn't have controls, what do you do then? Right? So these are all of the different considerations that we've written about in the ultimate guide to understanding routers that can help parents make that decision, right. So that's layer number two.

From there you go to the device layer, and this is for those smart devices. What software do you put on them? And you put it on the Wi-Fi dependent devices like Chromebooks, because what happens when that Chromebook isn't at your house and it goes to someone else's house, or it goes to the Starbucks Wi-Fi, or it goes wherever, and there's no controls on those routers. So the device itself, like belt and suspenders, the network needs controls in your home, and all the devices need controls too, because, number one, they could go somewhere else. Number two, it may have a SIM card like a smartphone, and it's using cellular, and so the device has to have controls on it too. This is where you talk about Bark, which has software. This is where you use Apple screen time controls, which are buggy right now, but they have them, or Android's family link, or Covenant Eyes, which is anti-pornography accountability software. This is what you put on the device. The next layer, then, is location layer. Right, so you've got relationship Wi-Fi, device, and then location where we use technology has a massive impact on how we use technology.

Five places where well, I don't care if you're 4, 14, or 40, five places that increase the risk of harm, but especially for kids, are bedrooms, bathrooms, buses, sleepovers and grandma and grandpa's house. Those are the five places that, if you're online and a kid, you're more apt to get into trouble. Especially, bedrooms are the top of the list because you have power, this perceived power, in the kingdom of your bedroom. It is your safe place, it is your domain. Almost every digital problem that I've helped a family through included behavior in the bedroom, and not only that, Erin, it included behavior that was infected by what I'll call the toxic trio.

The toxic trio is bedrooms, boredom and darkness. Bedrooms, boredom and darkness. Whether you're a kid or an adult, if those three things are constantly present when you use technology, as my Catholic friends would say, and I grew up in the Catholic church, you put yourself in the near occasion of sin. Right, you put yourself in the enemy's crosshairs. Whenever you use the internet consistently in bedrooms, boredom and darkness are the circumstances around you. You eventually make a choice at midnight that you regret at breakfast over and over and over again. Right, so, that's location. Right, so, you've got relationship, Wi-Fi, device location and then apps. They're very tippy top.

Does YouTube have parental controls? Sure.  Does Instagram have parental controls?  Yeah. Does Snapchat have parental controls? Some, they're all pretty horrible, they're all confusing, and that's why we put them up at the top. And, let's be honest, does Instagram have a slightly different view on what's appropriate compared to ours, Erin, don't you think?

Mrs. Erin Kay: Absolutely, yes.

Mr. Chris McKenna: Right? So if we're only depending on Instagram's appropriateness, toggle, for example, right, that's not what it's called, I'm just using that as a term that would help people understand right? If we toggle on a filter that Instagram creates, we may have a slightly different definition of appropriateness. Therefore, we use them, but we use four other things underneath it to ensure our view of the world, our ideas of appropriateness are what the kids are protected by. So, those are the five layers within that one component of a home that's tech-ready. Those are the five things that diligently prevent harm. We have to do all of those things around all the devices that our kids are using. 

Mrs. Erin Kay:  Yes, you said a lot of things that resonated with me as both a parent at Ben Lippen but also as an employee here as the high school counselor. So, I want to bring up a topic that fits into these different layers that some parents are aware of, some parents might not be aware of, and that is burner phones and students accessing burner phones and how those are impacting the layers here. So what are some tips that you can provide to parents when students access the burner phones, or maybe they aren't even aware of what a burner phone is?

Mr. Chris McKenna:  Well, that's step one. Do some homework, figure out what they are, and then have a conversation that puts what you learned and your expectations out in the light. You, literally you, say to your kids all right, listen, I know how this works. I know that there's probably a handful of kids at Ben Lippen who have a whole box of old iPhones that you could use when I take yours away. But here's the deal: For you to have any access to anything. This is a bit of a two-way street, right? There's trust; there's some expectations here. There's things that I am allowing you to do and that you need to honor by making certain choices, and one of those choices is when I say the phone is put away, you're not using a different device, you're not using a burner device.

There are five different stories of kids who thought it was a good idea to get on a device at night, and this one ended up committing suicide. This one ended up getting fentanyl. I mean, if that's your motivation, then there's a lot of other things going on amazing son or daughter of mine and so just don't go there. Just don't do that. If you agree to that, then good, this is going to work out. So these are the kind of role-playing, brutally honest conversations that I want us to have. In addition to that's the relational side, in addition to the technical side. Just say to them you know, and we have a router that if I ever get pinged in the middle of the night or somewhere that a device that we don't own is trying to use it, okay, that's a problem.

I want them to know that your router would alert. That's a deterrent just to let them know that you're aware of this. I think it increases your authority as a parent. I'm all aware of this.

I'm putting some things in place, not because I don't trust you, but because I don't trust the temptation. Basically, I need to be your prefrontal cortex while your limbic system is making all the calls in your amazing, curious, effervescent brain right now. And these are some of the things that I'm doing to protect yourself from you in moments of weakness. And I just want those things to be put out there, those conversations to be had, and get it in the light, where it has a whole lot less control over the situation, so acknowledge it relationally, talk about it and then technically do some things and put it all out in the light so that it has less control over your family. That's how I would address that specific issue and it usually works.

Mrs. Erin Kay: Yeah, and that as parents and caregivers, we're doing it out of love, not to harm them but to help them and they, you know, sometimes they have a hard time understanding it, but just coming at it from that, that space of love too. So when you mentioned bedroom boredom and darkness, I know pornography came to my mind and just the doom scroll and things like that. But tell us a little bit more, since we do serve K-3 through 12, the bedroom, the boredom and the darkness, how does that apply? What are some specifics of how that applies to kindergartners, three-year-olds, third graders? How would that apply there?

Mr. Chris McKenna: Well, from the very beginning, everything connected to the internet, I think kids need to know that none of them go to bedrooms ever. None of those devices with screens are ever used in bedrooms. Now there may be parents listening to this. You say well, Chris, here's our situation, right? We, you know, have a home where, for this child, this is the only place where they can do homework, and that's where it's quiet, because I get those things. Okay. Again, this is a risk. This is a question of risk mitigation and I'm telling you, risk goes up when you put a hundred million people in the bedroom with your kid.

So, if that's true, then you mitigate that risk by doing two things the door always has to be open and the screen always has to be seen. Because of those, two things are replaced and I think you mitigate the risk to an acceptable level. It's still not ideal, but it's an acceptable level. Right? Those are easy and I'll just so.

I worked at Covenant Eyes for seven years. I was a digital marketing manager. Love that company. I mentioned them. They're an anti-pornography software company. I'm sure many people listening to this have heard of them. I highly recommend them. Even at Covenant Eyes, we're adults working at a company For managers who had offices, your screen had to be seen from the hallway. It's an accountability company modeling, accountability. Even among ourselves it had to be seen. Now, there were exceptions. There was a team of people who were screening inappropriate content so that our different systems could be labeling it appropriately. Obviously, their screens are turned away. They had a horribly necessary job, this team of women who worked on these things, but everyone else, that was the rule. Right?  Again, whether you're 4, 14, or 40, the internet doesn't care. The algorithm doesn't care. Eventually it figures us out, whether it's porn, or shopping, or fantasy football or candy crush. Whatever it is, the algorithm figures you out and attempts to put that which you stare at the most in front of your face as often as possible. That's what it's going to do.

Mrs. Erin Kay: Yes, yes, and you think about the younger children and the video games. There's all these websites now that have video games that they can play for free and the risks that are involved, and yeah, so thank you for sharing about that.  Okay, so again, I'm going to ask the same question that I asked at the end of the last episode. So these are all really, really great layers here. We have the relationship, the Wi-Fi, the devices, location and apps. So what would you say to the parent, the caregiver, the teacher, the student who is just in awe and just so appreciative of this information, but they don't know where to start? What would you say to them?

Mr. Chris McKenna: Well, I think I provided enough items in there. Pick the one that you want to learn more about. Maybe it's burner phones, because we talked about that one for a minute. Maybe it's routers, because I mentioned that one. Maybe you didn't know Snapchat had parental controls. Okay, read about it. Just pick a thing. Do it in the next seven days. Pick a thing and then, and then, seven days from now, pick another thing. So the enemy wants us to be paralyzed by a mountain of choices and what we try to do is boil all the different ways that this can go wrong. Point to a few ways that it can go right and just encourage parents to pick a thing and invite a child into that thing. Let them know that you're looking at that thing and invite a child into that thing. Let them know that you're looking at that thing. Talk to them about that thing. Don't just make it something you have to do. Do it together, and I think you might learn something at the same time.

Mrs. Erin Kay:  Oh, that's beautiful. So, in closing, if our listeners want to know more about you and Protect Young Eyes, how could they find more information?

Mr. Chris McKenna:  Sure, so you can visit us online, as you would expect, www.protectyoungeyes.com, and we do a lot of sharing all the things that I've shared and will be sharing in future episodes of this series, Erin, you can find most of it in our social media feeds in some way in just little snippets, whether it's images or videos. So follow us at Protect Young Eyes, primarily on Instagram and Facebook, and we also have a community that I would love to share, maybe through channels there at the school, where we provide tech support for parents who have these questions. They don't know where to start. I have a woman who works for me. Her name is Abby. She's a community care manager, and we have a private community where we give these sort of just one-on-one supports for families.

Think of it like your own little geek squad right For these kinds of questions that which Best Buy has that sends people out. This is a digital version of that so that we can provide help. So those would be the three ways online, through social media, and then you can find us, we call it the table because we want parents with big questions to come to a table so we can talk about it. That's where you solve things. So those are the big three.

Mrs. Erin Kay: Thank you so much for sharing with us today and we look forward to connecting with everyone on our next episode.