Navigating the Digital Jungle

08/09/2026

A little something exciting is on its way… 🐍

I’ve just ordered the first Little Explorers Club stickers to go with my new children’s book, Just One More Snake™!

And I may be a little bit excited. 😍

Screens Down 🔹 Heads Up 🔹 Let’s Play!

That’s the message I want children to take away from the story. Not that technology is bad, but that there’s a whole wonderful world waiting beyond the screen — full of play, curiosity, friendship and adventure.

The stickers feature Milo, Aisha, Leo and Sofia, our little explorers, and I can’t wait to see them in print.

It’s one of those small moments that makes the whole project feel very real. A story that began as an idea is becoming a book, a collection of characters and a little world children can belong to. 💚

Let’s explore the world together.

What do you think will children like them?

More little jungle surprises coming soon… 👀🌴

02/09/2026

📱 Not sure what to say when technology becomes a tricky topic at home?

You’re not alone. From first smartphones and gaming to AI, social media and online safety, there’s a lot for parents to navigate.

That’s why I created Navigating the Digital Jungle: The Complete Family Guide to Raising Confident Digital Explorers 🌿

It brings practical advice, real life examples and ready to use conversation scripts together in one guide, helping you feel more confident and less overwhelmed.

✨ One guide to keep coming back to as your child grows.

📘 Available as a paperback or instant digital download.

🔗 Get your copy here:
https://navigatingthedigitaljungle.com/product/navigating-the-digital-jungle-scripts-to-start-family-tech-conversations/

31/08/2026

❓Could a child’s toy be collecting more information than you realise?

Let’s take a moment to go back to this episode of Navigating the Digital Jungle, exploring the privacy questions parents should be asking about AI powered and connected toys. 🤖🧸

Smart toys can offer exciting ways for children to play and learn, but it’s also important to understand what information they may collect, how features work, and what privacy settings are available.

A quick check of the settings could be an important step towards creating a safer digital environment for the whole family. 🔐

🎧 https://navigatingthedigitaljungle.com/season-3-ep-02-big-data-little-hands-navigating-privacy-in-ai-powered-toys-and-data-privacy/

24/08/2026

🌞 SCREEN-FREE SUMMER CHALLENGE 2026 – WEEK 4

❤️ Fun Together. Connect Together.

Welcome to Week 4 of our Screen-Free Summer Challenge 2026!

We’ve spent time outdoors, rediscovered real play and created moments to eat and talk together.

This week is all about something children remember long after summer is over…

Doing something fun together.

Not because it’s expensive.
Not because it’s perfect.
But because you’re together.

This week’s challenge

Swap a little screen time for connection time.

Choose one screen-free activity to enjoy together as a family.

It could be:

🎲 Play a board or card game

💃 Have a kitchen disco

🍿 Enjoy a family film night (phones away!)

🧁 Bake something together

🎨 Get creative with art or crafts

🧩 Complete a jigsaw

📖 Tell stories or read together

🚶 Go for an evening walk and chat

The aim isn’t to fill every minute with activities.

It’s about creating moments where everyone feels connected, relaxed and able to enjoy each other’s company.

Often it’s these ordinary moments that become the memories children treasure most.

💚 We’d love to hear what you chose.

Tell us:

* What did your family do together?
* What made everyone laugh?
* Did you start a new tradition?
* What would you recommend to another family?

Your ideas might inspire someone else to give it a try.

And if you’re enjoying the challenge, tell a friend and invite them to join us. The more families taking part, the more conversations, laughter and connection we can encourage this summer.

Here’s to making memories that don’t need a password.

Sue 🎈

20/08/2026

Why Stories Are Rehearsal for Real Life

One of the reasons I've always loved children's stories is that they allow children to experience life's big emotions while sitting safely on a parent's lap. Long before a child has to deal with disappointment, jealousy, fear or making the wrong choice, they've often met those feelings in a story. They've watched a character wrestle with them.

As a teacher, I saw this time and time again. Children would talk quite freely about why a bear shouldn't have lied, why a rabbit should have included someone who was left out, or why a little mouse was brave even though he was frightened.

What fascinated me was that they weren't talking about themselves. They were talking about the character and somehow that made it easier. Stories create just enough distance for children to explore difficult ideas without feeling judged or put on the spot. They can wonder what they would have done, question a character's decision, or disagree with the ending, all without anyone telling them they're right or wrong.

I think that's one of the reasons stories have survived for thousands of years. They've never simply entertained us. They've helped us make sense of being human.

That feels especially important today.

Our children are growing up in a world of smartphones, social media and artificial intelligence. The challenges may be new, but the qualities they need are not. They still need courage when something feels uncomfortable. They still need kindness when someone is excluded. They still need curiosity, resilience and the confidence to make good choices when nobody is watching.

Technology has changed childhood in many ways, but it hasn't changed children.

Perhaps that's why I found myself writing the Little Explorers: Navigating the Digital Jungle™ stories. I wasn't trying to write books about technology. I was trying to create characters who would help young children rehearse life in today's world, just as generations before them learned through fairy tales, fables and bedtime stories.

Because I don't believe the best stories simply fill twenty minutes before bedtime. I think they quietly prepare children for tomorrow.

When you think back to your own childhood, was there a story or character that taught you something you've never forgotten?

19/08/2026

THIS IS CHILDHOOD AT ITS FINEST.

New York City has just offered something truly extraordinary: four hours of free, supervised care for children aged 6–12—giving parents a precious evening to themselves.

Some went for dinner. Some caught up with laundry or shopping. Some simply went home and rested.

And while their parents took a breath, the children played dodgeball, tackled obstacle courses, made volcanoes, tried archery, created art, explored wildlife and learned how to DJ.

One little girl exclaimed:

“I’ve never done a science experiment before!”

This was described as “free babysitting.”

But it was so much more than that.

It was a city investing in childhood.

It created a safe, welcoming third space where children could move, play, experiment, make friends and discover something new—not because their parents could afford an expensive club, but because their community had decided that these experiences matter.

It also recognised something we too often overlook:

Supporting parents is supporting children.

Giving an exhausted parent four hours to rest, reconnect with their partner or simply hear themselves think is not an indulgence. It strengthens the whole family.

And look at what happened when children were offered something genuinely engaging in the real world.

Even the 12-year-old initially sitting on TikTok eventually put down her phone and joined the dodgeball game.

That matters.

We spend an enormous amount of time worrying about getting children off screens. But perhaps we should spend just as much time asking:

What are we inviting them into instead?

This is what I mean by Childhood by Design.

Not simply protecting children from harm, but deliberately creating the places, relationships and experiences that help them flourish.

Imagine UK councils, Family Hubs, libraries, leisure centres and community organisations offering regular Parents’ Nights Out—giving children joyful, screen-free experiences and giving parents some much-needed breathing room.

The final verdict came from one mother as she collected her smiling child:

“Tell the mayor we want another one.”

Quite right.

This isn’t a frivolous extra. It is two-generation support at its very best—practical, preventative, inclusive and wonderfully human.

Which UK local authority or Family Hub will be brave enough to try it first?

18/08/2026

Disney Has Just Announced a Major Global Content Deal with TikTok—But at What Cost to YOUR Children?

STOP AND THINK: Disney content doesn’t automatically make TikTok safe for your child.

A real pause-to-ponder moment for parents—because it’s so easy to see Disney, Mickey Mouse, Toy Story or Moana and merrily let children tune in without thinking too deeply about the platform delivering it.

But trusted content does not automatically mean a trusted platform.

Familiar characters reassure us.

They lower our guard. Yet they don’t change the platform’s underlying design, algorithms or commercial incentives—and they don’t control what the algorithm serves up next!

So perhaps parents & carers need to ask ourselves:

Am I trusting the character—or have I checked the platform?

What might the algorithm show my child next?

Is autoplay switched off?

Does my child understand that familiar content doesn’t always mean a safe digital space?

Are we watching together and talking about what appears?

Would I feel comfortable leaving my child alone in this digital environment?

Children’s online safety is about far more than the programme they choose to watch. The platform, its design and what it recommends next matter just as much.

Familiarity must never become a substitute for safety by design.

🤔 Pause to ponder: are trusted Disney characters opening the door to TikTok’s addictive design and harmful content to your children ?

🤔 But how do we reach the parents who see Disney, assume “safe,” and never think to question the platform behind it?

The Walt Disney Company and TikTok announced a global short-form content-sharing partnership on August 5, 2026. The deal allows participating creators to use curated clips, characters, and scenes from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and FX in their short-form videos, with top fan content also featured on a "Verts" feed within Disney+.

Read more about the official announcement directly at The Walt Disney Company.

https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/news/tiktok-content-sharing-deal/

TikTok: The dangers worth highlighting are not simply “bad videos.” They are built into TikTok’s design:

Infinite scroll, autoplay and personalised recommendations encourage compulsive use.

The algorithm can rapidly lead children towards self-harm, su***de, eating-disorder and other harmful material.

Weak age assurance means younger children may access an app intended for ages 13+.

Public interaction can expose children to bullying, grooming, inappropriate contact and dangerous challenges.

Familiar Disney characters may lower parents’ guard without making the surrounding platform safer.

The European Commission has preliminarily found TikTok’s addictive design in breach of the Digital Services Act, specifically citing infinite scroll, autoplay, notifications and its recommender system.

Ofcom has also said evidence suggests TikTok’s feeds are “still not safe enough” for children.

Disney may control the characters—but it cannot control where TikTok’s algorithm takes a child next.

Love to hear your thoughts

Disney and TikTok announced a first-of-its-kind global deal that will bring fans and creators alike a unique way to discover and create content utilizing memorable scenes and moments from Disney movies and shows.

17/08/2026

🌿 SCREEN-FREE SUMMER CHALLENGE 2026 – WEEK 3 🌿

🍽️ EAT TOGETHER. TALK TOGETHER.™

This week, we’re swapping a little screen time for conversation time by enjoying one meal, snack or drink together each day without phones or tablets.

It doesn’t have to be a perfect family dinner around a beautifully laid table — it could be breakfast before work, lunch in the garden, an after-school snack, Friday pizza night, an ice cream in the park, a picnic or even a chat in the car on the way somewhere.

The important thing is simply creating one small moment each day when everyone feels noticed, heard and listened to.

If you’re not sure how to begin, try asking:

💬 What made you smile today?
💬 What was the best part of your day?
💬 What surprised you?
💬 What made you laugh?
💬 Who were you kind to today?
💬 What are you looking forward to tomorrow?

It isn’t about banning screens or achieving the “perfect” family meal. It’s about creating small, ordinary moments of connection that, repeated over time, can make a very big difference.

Tell us what worked for your family — perhaps a conversation starter, a funny moment or a new tradition you’ve begun.

🌿 Join the Screen-Free Summer Challenge and share your ideas, questions, photos and little wins in our Facebook community:

👇 https://lnkd.in/diezzmas

Small changes. Big difference. One week at a time.

07/08/2026

‼️This is a REALLY BIG DAY ‼️

This is potentially one of the most important child online safety judgments we've seen because it shifts the debate from "what content is on platforms?" to "how platforms are designed."

Here's why I think it matters:

🔹 It changes who is responsible.

For years, we've focused on what parents, schools and children should do differently. This judgment says platforms themselves have a legal duty to reduce foreseeable harm.

🔹 Design is now on trial.

The court focused on time limits, notifications, adult contact, AI chatbot interactions and reporting systems. These aren't accidents—they're product design choices.

If a playground keeps injuring children because of its design, we redesign the playground. We don't simply tell parents to supervise more carefully.

🔹 It strengthens the move towards Safety by Design.

The question is no longer just, "Can harmful content be removed?" It's increasingly, "Why was the platform designed to amplify or enable that harm in the first place?"

🔹 AI is now firmly part of the child safety conversation.

Restrictions on AI chatbot interactions with minors show that courts are already thinking beyond social media to the wider digital environment children are growing up in.

For me, this reinforces something I've believed for a long time: parents remain central, but they shouldn't be expected to out-engineer products designed by teams of behavioural scientists.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway is this:

We're beginning to ask technology to adapt to children, rather than expecting children to adapt to technology. 🎉

Childhood by design. Not by default.

5Rights Margot L. Denommé Parven Kaur Ofcom

03/08/2026

🌿 SCREEN-FREE SUMMER CHALLENGE 2026 – WEEK 1 🌿

🌳 Make Nature Your Playground

Welcome to Week 1 of our Screen-Free Summer Challenge 2026 🎉

This summer, I'm inviting families to make a few simple changes that can make a big difference.

This isn't about banning screens or aiming for perfection. It's about finding a healthier balance and creating more opportunities for children to play, explore, laugh and connect.

This week's challenge...
Swap a little screen time for green time.

Spend at least 30 minutes outdoors every day this week.

It doesn't have to be anything elaborate or expensive.

Childhood magic often happens in the simplest moments.

You could:

🌳 Build a den
🐞 Hunt for mini beasts
🚲 Ride a bike
⚽ Kick a football
🌼 Pick flowers
☁️ Watch the clouds
🎨 Draw with chalk
🍃 Collect leaves, sticks or stones
🌈 Splash in paddling pools

The aim isn't to eliminate screens.
It's to remind ourselves that some of childhood's happiest memories are made away from them.

💚 I'd love you to join in.

Share your adventures & favourite outdoor places or tell us how your family got on this week.

👇 Join us here:
https://lnkd.in/diezzmas

🤝Invite a friend to join the challenge or share with the families you work with.

Let's encourage one another and celebrate the small wins together.
Because small changes really can make a big difference.

Have fun!
Sue 🎈