Special guest: Kirra Pendergast (founder and CEO of Safe on Social)

In this episode, Jenny talks with global thought leader Kirra Pendergast, who is the founder and CEO of Safe on Social. Kirra has worked at the cutting edge of Information Technology and Information (Cyber) Security since 1991.

Safe on Social is now the largest, most trusted, and in-demand cyber safety education and training group of companies globally. Kirra splits her time between the Asia Pacific Headquarters in Byron Bay, Australia, and Safe on Social's UK and European Headquarters in London, England, and Florence, Italy.

A dynamic and engaging public speaker, and international media commentator on cyber safety, cyber bullying, and social media risk management, she has written for too many media organisations to list and has appeared on major international news channels. She is a regular guest on podcasts across the world.

Kirra has dedicated the last 14 years of her career to working at the coalface of cybersafety by educating people as young 5yrs old through to seniors over 70yrs old. She understands every aspect of the sector.

Kirra’s lived experience sets her and Safe on Social apart. She experienced the nightmare of being the target of a vicious cyberbullying and online hate campaign orchestrated by someone she trusted in early 2014. This experience continues to influence her work.

The talk ranges over a wide area and will be of interest to anyone in the care of children or teens, anyone whose children or teens have access to devices that can connect to the internet. So that's all of us parents?

Some of the things covered:

Why parents need to keep on top of rapidly-changing technologies and appsHow parents and caregivers can best support their young peopleHow education in this domain has changed in the last ten yearsHow common sexting isHow vulnerable young children are if they use Snapchat, Roblox, Instagram etcWhat teenagers want to know, bottom line -- what to do when things go wrongInsights from young people todayWhat the future looks like

Helpful links:

www.safeonsocial.comRead more on the Safe on Social blog at this link hereQuestions: [email protected]

Opportunity:

Discount Code For Readers: 20% off the cost of our ESAFETYHQ Parent Program: sexedau20

Program link: https://www.safeonsocial.com/parents-program

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Please visit our website sexeducationaustralia.com.au where you can listen to our other episodes and also browse our pages for resources, information and support.

Primary resources are listed here: https://sexeducationaustralia.com.au/resources-2/resources-for-parents/

Secondary resources are here: https://sexeducationaustralia.com.au/resources-2/secondary-resources/

Thanks for listening!

Jenny + Justine

THAT sex ed podcast

A podcast for parents and caregivers of children and adolescents. Join co-founders of Sex Education Australia, Justine Kiely-Scott and Jenny Ackland, as they discuss the topics parents can find difficult to talk about with their children. They cover WHAT topics can (or should) be talked about, WHY it's important that parents should be talking with their kids, and HOW they can manage these conversations. Each episode, Justine and Jenny take off their 'teacher hats' and put on their 'parent hats' to chat a bit more informally about the various challenges and delights of educating young people about sexuality and relationships, and a whole lot more.

• No. of episodes: 24
• Latest episode: 2023-12-19
• Health & Fitness Sexuality

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