Parenting in a Tech World

Financial sextortion is targeting teenage boys at an alarming rate — and most families have never heard of it until it's too late. In 2022, 17-year-old Gavin Guffey fell victim to an online blackmail scam and died by suicide. His father, South Carolina State Representative Brandon Guffey, refused to let Gavin's death be the end of the story.

Rep. Guffey is one of the driving forces behind Gavin's Law, one of the nation's first pieces of legislation specifically targeting financial sextortion — and he's now working to build momentum for similar protections at the national level.

In this episode, Brandon shares who Gavin was as a person, how the scam unfolded, and what he wants every parent and teenager to understand about how these predators operate. He breaks down what Gavin's Law actually does, where the fight to hold tech platforms accountable stands today, and how families can get involved in protecting other kids.

Key insight: Financial sextortion scams often move from first contact to blackmail within minutes — and the criminals specifically target teens who are least likely to tell a parent.

Learn more about Rep. Brandon Guffey: https://info.bark.us/rep-brandon-guffey

Follow Brandon on Instagram: https://info.bark.us/brandon-guffey-ig

Support Less Than 3: https://info.bark.us/less-than-3

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Join our Parenting in a Tech World Facebook community: https://info.bark.us/join-pitw

Learn how Bark monitors for sextortion warning signs and alerts parents before a crisis escalates: https://www.bark.us/

Diane Tarantini is a survivor, author, and body safety educator whose work is bringing one of the most underreported forms of child sexual abuse into the open. In this episode, she shares the story behind her children's book The Brave Knight — which teaches kids to recognize grooming and speak up — her memoir Everyone Was Silent, and why child-on-child sexual abuse is being called America's silent epidemic. If you've ever wondered how to talk to your kids about body safety or what warning signs parents often miss, this conversation is a must-listen.

Resources discussed in this episode:
Visit Diane's website for resources and to order her books: https://info.bark.us/diane-tarantini
Follow Diane on Instagram: https://info.bark.us/diane-ig
Brad Watts' book Sibling Sexual Abuse: https://info.bark.us/brad-watts-ssa
Diane and Kimberly's online course Raising Safe Siblings: https://info.bark.us/rasing-safe-siblings
John Hopkins CSA resources: https://info.bark.us/john-hopkins-csa
5 Waves: https://info.bark.us/5-waves
Sibling Sexual Trauma: https://info.bark.us/sibling-sexual-trauma

Jen Davidson spent years raising two kids with a simple but powerful ritual — intentional conversations she called Life Lesson Lunches — and her grown children loved it so much they asked her to write it all down so they could use it someday as parents themselves. In her book Keep Talking, Jen offers a warm, practical roadmap for staying connected with kids even when they're doing everything to push you away. We get into the book, the unconventional origin story behind it, and what Jen has learned navigating social media as a first-time author who never wanted to be on it in the first place.

Links mentioned in this episode:
Jen's website: https://www.jenshoemakerdavidson.com/
Order Jen's book: https://www.jenshoemakerdavidson.com/#preorder
Subscribe to Jen's Substack: https://jenshoemakerdavidson.substack.com/
Follow Jen on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenshoemakerdavidson
Connect with Jen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jen-shoemaker-davidson-6079a430

What does it actually feel like to be the kid on the other side of all that well-intentioned parenting technology? Audra and Savanna grew up navigating learning challenges with tools, apps, and monitoring software shaping their daily lives — and they're here to tell the truth about what helped, what felt like a leash, and what they wish the adults in their lives had done differently. If you've ever wondered whether the tech you're using is building your child's independence or quietly undermining it, this one's for you.

Heisman Trophy winner and Tim Tebow Foundation founder Tim Tebow has spent years on the front lines of fighting child sexual exploitation — and what he's seen should be on every parent's radar. In this episode, Tim breaks down the online predators hiding in the apps and platforms your kids use every day, what it took to pass landmark federal legislation protecting children online, and the real link between social media and the mental health crisis facing today's kids. If you've ever wondered whether the internet is really as dangerous as people say — Tim's work makes clear that it is, and that there are concrete steps every parent can take right now. Plus, learn how your Bark Phone purchase directly supports the Tim Tebow Foundation — and how you can be part of the mission.

Learn more about the partnership: https://www.bark.us/learn/tim-tebow?ref=timtebow