- [Narrator] Caleb Kinchlowwears many hats in media.

Producer, videographer, editor, and host.

He's also the Grandson of beloved former

700 Club co-host, Ben Kinchlow.

Caleb loves technology

but he see the need to protecthis kids from its dangers

and he wants to helpother parents do the same.

He says many of them are unaware

of what kids can easily access

or what to do about it.

In his book "Parents, Kids and Technology"

Caleb offers explanations, practical tools

and encouragement to keep yourfamily safe in a tech world.

- Well Caleb Kinchlow joins us now.

Welcome.

Good to have you with us today.

- Thank you for having me. I'm excited.

- Hey before I even get to"Parents, Kids and Technology"

congratulations to you, dad.

New baby.

- Yes. Yes.

- You have a son?

- Yes Grant Zachariah Ben Kinchlow.

- [Woman] Wow. (laughs loudly)

- [Caleb] Yeah. He's keeping us up.

Not getting a lot of sleep (laughs).

- [Woman] Grandpa Benis smiling let me say.

Oh he's adorable!

- [Caleb] Oh thank you.

- He is adorable.

Well parents today,

I mean you are well seasonedin this as a young parent

but parents today arefaced with technology

that even ten years ago we didn't have.

How did this become such animportant issue to you, Caleb?

- Right, well in addition to the research

that I had been doingover the past few years

we've seen a rise in headlinesinvolving teens and tweens

with suicide, depression, anxiety.

And there are two key thingsthat are very consistent.

The first one is that it involvestechnology or social media

and two, that the parentswere really just unaware

of what was going on.

Which is why with this particular resource

at the end of each chapterthere are key take aways

and discussion points to have those

courageous conversations with your kids.

- So you've kind of donethe homework (laughs)

homework for parents in all this.

Facebook, Twitter,Instagram, now Snapchat.

I mean it just seems likeyou get one under your

belt and another one flies out.

You can't keep all thehorses in the corral.

So how do grandparents andparents stay on top of this?

- Well you know and a lot of parents

this is kind of a crazy idea

but to have theconversation with your kids

and have them teach you.

So let me actually giveyou a real world example.

In my book there's actually like a list

of different detailed examples

but one that we actuallyuse in our household.

So if our son, Demarcus,wants to download an app

the way our phones are set up,

he has to send us a notification.

Once we get the notificationsthen we can have a discussion,

we can look at it ourselves,research it and have a dialog

about the pros, the cons, the dangers.

That way it's not just us as parents

having to controleverything and helicopter.

It gives him some type of onus as well

to be a family conversation.

- Well and it doesn't make the child feel

like he or she has been quite so invaded

if they're involved in it.

- Yeah trust.

- So you gotta start that early right?

- Absolutely.

- What do you do if you've got a child

and you realize that there'san issue that's happened

whether it's just too much screen time

or inappropriate use of technology

and you haven't done all thethings you're talking about?

How do you begin the process of saying,

"Hey, gotta change some things."

- Right, you know the thing,

and actually a lot ofparents actually ask me

the same question.

It's never too late to start.

As long as the kids areliving under your roof

I mean honestly you're probably paying

for that smart device.

You can set the rules.

- [Woman] Yeah (laughs). Unlessthey have a very good job.

- Exactly.

You can set the rules and then start

to have these courageous conversations

about the why behind it.

Not just "I'm gonna take away your stuff."

- You interviewed hundredsof students in writing

"Parents, Kids and Technology."

What are some of the best takeaways

that you got from those interviews?

- Absolutely. You knowthe key one that I see

is validation.

The kids are in thisspace where they're trying

to figure out who they are,where they fit in to life.

So they're using socialmedia, the platforms,

as a way to bolster the validation.

So they'll post a certain picture

and then they'll search for these likes

and then once they get the likes

they get this emotional response of,

"Hey, this must meanthat I mean something.

"That I matter."

And number two they'realso looking for community.

Somewhere to build a relationship

with people who are like minded.

- And you know Caleb, it's not just kids.

I mean, I see adults doing this

through their use of it as well.

So first we got to get our act together

before we can help ourkids get theirs together.

But you have a guidelinefor parents in your book.

You say, "Technology changesbut principles stay the same."

What do you mean andhow do we utilize that?

- So as adults we've all experienced

what it felt like to be a kid.

The only difference is is that the vehicle

for the experience has changed.

So we might know what it feels like

to try to fit in, maybe to be bullied.

Although it's not a written piece of paper

it's just an online platform.

So parents don't need to be scared

when they're talking to their kids.

You approach your kidsfrom a standpoint of,

"I've experienced what they're feeling.

"So let me just kind of giveyou some of my experiences

"and how I dealt with the principles

"of dealing with the situation."

- Yeah. Safety measures.

I mean, I think that'swhat everybody's gonna want

to write down, is how do Icircumvent this whole issue

with things that matter?

- Right. Absolutely.

There's actually achapter in the book where

I actually go in to detailsof those thing specifically

but the general rule is filters.

If their device has an on switch and WiFi,

we have to know more thanjust the name of the device.

We have to understand what it can access.

We have to understand that

when you give you kid this device,

you're taking the sewage lineand connecting it to them.

And that our kids don't have the wisdom

on how to navigate the different issues.

You see wisdom goes tothe end of the situation,

looks at the outcome and then comes back

and then makes the decision.

So we have to help them.

- So it seem like one of the--

Let's talk about a positiveaspect of having say,

an iPhone, cell phone of some kind,

that I can communicate with you,

my child, wherever you are.

If you're in a problem scenario

you can communicate with me.

But then there are all kindsof thing available to you

that I may not even beaware that you're using.

Because I may not use themmyself on my own phone.

But at the same time I thinka lot of parents wonder,

"So when is the righttime to introduce a phone

in to a child's life?"

It's like giving them a computer.

- Absolutely and that's the question

that everyone always wants to know.

And really the thing iseach kid is different.

You can't say, you cannot say, "No technology."

- [Woman] No.

- Because everyone else is having it

and they'll be ostracized.

It's about whenever yourdecide in your household

they need a smart device.

That's up to you.

But the key thing iswith that smart device

putting in the filters in place

and having ongoing conversations.

Not one conversation.

Conversations continuously

about these differentissues that they're facing

or they will face.

- And how much you care and are trying

to help them navigate throughthe perils of growing up.

(both chuckle)

Well I want to say Caleb's book is called

"Parents, Kids andTechnology" and it's available

by visiting calebkinchlow.com/book.

It's worthy of your investmentand worthy of your time.

Thank you my friend.

- [Caleb] Hey, thank your for having me.

- [Woman] Great to have you here.