"Participate in Your Kid's Screen Time to Know What They're Exposed To Online" Andrea Messick

Protect your family with our 1-minute free parent quiz Join our next weekly live parent events: Episode Summary: Host Josh Ochs welcomes Andrea Messick, Chief of Staff and Communications at Midland ISD, to discuss key digital safety challenges impacting schools and families, including group texts, disappearing messages on apps like Snapchat and Signal, and inappropriate content that surfaces off campus and disrupts school days. Messick shares how her experience as a district leader and single parent shapes her approach, including regularly checking her son’s phone. They emphasize adults modeling healthy online behavior, parents participating in kids’ screen time to understand content and algorithms, and setting consistent time limits for younger children. The episode also features teen perspectives on red flags with dangerous strangers online and offers practical alternatives to device “pacifiers,” like car-ride learning conversations and restaurant routines that build independence and communication skills. Become a Smart Social VIP (Very Informed Parents) Member: District Leaders: Schedule a free phone consultation to get ideas on how to protect your students in your community Download the free Smart Social app: Learn about the top 190+ popular teen apps: View the top parental control software: The SmartSocial.com Podcast helps parents and educators to keep their kids safe on social media, so they can Shine Online™

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"Participate in Your Kid's Screen Time to Know What They're Exposed To Online" Andrea Messick is an episode from Smart Social Podcast: Keeping students safe so they can Shine Online by Josh Ochs.

This episode is 00:20:00 long.

This episode was published on Mar 25, 2026.

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