Tim Tebow on Online Predators, the Dangers of Social Media, and What Every Parent Needs to Know

Summary

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Parenting in a Tech World

Episode: Tim Tebow on Online Predators, the Dangers of Social Media, and What Every Parent Needs to Know
Host: Titania Jordan, Bark CMO
Guest: Tim Tebow, Athlete & Founder, Tim Tebow Foundation
Date: May 20, 2026

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Episode Overview

This powerful conversation dives deep into the realities of online predators, the dangers children face on social media, and the intricacies of fighting child exploitation in the digital era. Titania Jordan and Tim Tebow discuss parental responsibilities, the role of technology, legal battles in Washington, and provide actionable advice and heartfelt encouragement for families navigating the digital landscape. The episode blends advocacy, faith, and practical resources, making it a must-listen (or read) for any parent or caregiver.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Scope of the Problem: Online Predators and Child Exploitation

• Tim Tebow shares the alarming realities faced by children worldwide:
  • Over 50 million people trapped in human trafficking, with 400 million children being sexually exploited or abused yearly.
    “There’s more people in Slavery now than maybe ever before in history…[with] over 400 million boys and girls that will be sexually exploited or sexually abused around the world.” — Tim Tebow [02:32]
  • Danger is not just “over there”—it happens in America, on every device.
    “It’s not over there, it’s right here. It’s right in our backyards, and it's on every single device.” — Tim Tebow [03:38]
  • Dr. Michael Burke’s analogy: Giving a child a device is like dropping them off at a playground filled with predators.
    “Every time a mom or a dad hands a cell phone or an iPad or a device to their boy or girl, it’s like dropping them off at a playground with hundreds of pedophiles walking around.” — [03:16]

2. Legal Battles: Pushing Change in Washington

• The Report Act and Legislative Hurdles
  • The Report Act successfully forced platforms to preserve explicit images and data for a year instead of 90 days, enabling more investigations to proceed.
    “Now they have to keep it for a year. And so many times when it’s just 90 days, law enforcement can’t get in there in time.” — Tim Tebow [05:45]
  • Platforms are not doing enough; some legal efforts to require them to flag and report exploitation are underway but face resistance.
  • Lawmakers are often supportive in public but not always in action:
    “There’s a lot of people that are staying in the way of protecting a lot of boys and girls.” — Tim Tebow [07:13]
• The challenge of outdated laws:
  • “The laws meant to protect children online haven’t been updated since we were in high school. And they protect the platforms, not the children.” — Titania Jordan [07:56]

3. How Predators Operate—and How Parents Underestimate the Risk

• Predators use all platforms:

  • Not limited to obscure or ‘shady’ apps—predators are active on every major platform, including direct messaging, gaming platforms like Roblox, and apps with disappearing messages. “Honestly…I think all of them [are risky]. We want to give our kids the best…but sometimes we have to also protect them from what they want.” — Tim Tebow [12:01]
  • Grooming tactics are sophisticated and continuously evolving.

• Common misconceptions:

  • Many parents think “I’ll just know if my kid is being targeted.” Both Tim and Titania dispel this myth—predators are skilled manipulators and kids of all backgrounds are at risk.

4. The Mental Health Impact and the Power of Presence

• Technology can damage children’s self-worth and mental health.

  • “They are feeling like they're not enough. And God has given each one of them a purpose and a plan for this life.” — Titania Jordan [15:51]

• Parental confessions:

  • Titania reflects on her mistakes, even as a “tech executive”:
    “As somebody who understood social media…I still allowed my own son to play certain video games, have tech in his room, have access to social media before his brain and heart were ready.” — [14:30]

• Tech is a tool—use it wisely:

  • “We don’t give third graders chainsaws when they go out into the woods. So why are we giving them a tool that can access the entire world?” — Titania Jordan [19:07]

5. Platform Accountability and the Rise of Sextortion

• Big Tech’s failures:

  • Platforms slow to respond to urgent takedown requests, sometimes taking 18 months or more.
  • End-to-end encryption can shield abuse, making law enforcement's job harder.

• Sextortion epidemic:

  • “One of the faster growing trends…is sextortion. There are warehouses…all over the world, their goal is to sextort boys and girls.” — Tim Tebow [21:49]
  • Boys who play sports are a major target—predators bank on their vulnerability and reputation.
  • “Meta took down 74,000 accounts from Nigeria alone for sextortion, just in one year.” — Tim Tebow [22:21]

6. The Absolute Need for Parent-Child Communication

• Build trust BEFORE a crisis:

  • “We’ve got to have such a good relationship of trust and communication that they know if this does happen to you, your son or your daughter can come talk to us.” — Tim Tebow [23:01]

• Don’t think it “won’t happen to us”:

  • “There’s also so many families…that thought this could never happen to us…We all are one decision or one argument away from something like that.” — Tim Tebow [26:01]
  • The myth of the “creepy stranger”—predators are often successful, well-respected adults, including those within the family, community, or church.
  • Parents must be vigilant about any adult seeking alone time with a child, regardless of their role or reputation.

7. What Can Parents Do?

• Use tech SAFELY, with tools like Bark:

  • Bark Phone features built to block and intercept nude images and offensive content.

• Delay introduction of social media:

  • “You do want them to be left out—of the bullying, of the negative impact to their self-worth, to the graphic, violent, sexual content…” — Titania Jordan [38:39]

• Equip yourself with knowledge:

  • Titania’s book, Parental: A Guide to Raising Kids in the Digital Era, offers practical advice and real-life examples.

• The value of presence over presents:

  • “Our presence is more important than giving them presents…what they really need is mom and dad.” — Tim Tebow [53:13]

8. The Role of Faith and Imperfection in Parenting

• Spiritual foundation:

  • Repeated reminders that “Love always protects” (1 Corinthians 13:7).
  • Christianity is a hospital for the broken, not a museum for the perfect.

• Encouragement for all parents:

  • “Your kids don’t need perfect parents, they need present ones.” — Titania Jordan [52:39]

• God’s grace and the call to advocacy:

  • Tim’s personal testimony about his father’s fight against child exploitation and the profound responsibility to keep going.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Every time a mom or a dad hands a cell phone or an iPad or a device to their boy or girl, it’s like dropping them off at a playground with hundreds of pedophiles walking around.” — [03:16], Tim Tebow
• “The laws meant to protect children online haven’t been updated since we were in high school…they protect the platforms, not the children.” — [07:56], Titania Jordan
• “I think that we need to take that approach to say, okay, let's do everything that we can for this not to happen. Let's build those bonds and those relationships, let's have an open dialogue…let's try to do everything we can to prevent it in the front end.” — [26:58], Tim Tebow
• “Love always protects. That's how it starts, right? That's what love does.” — [12:07], Tim Tebow
• “Our presence is more important than giving them presents.” — [53:13], Tim Tebow
• “Christianity is a hospital for the broken.” — [49:05], Tim Tebow
• “You are afraid as a parent for your kid to be left out…but you do want them to be left out…of the bullying, of the negative impact…” — [38:39], Titania Jordan
• “We serve a king that's already won and is coming back to finish the job.” — [47:47], Tim Tebow

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Important Timestamps

• [02:32] — The global scale and immediacy of online exploitation
• [05:45] — Details on the Report Act and the challenges of passing child online safety legislation
• [12:01] — Every platform is risky; parental vigilance is essential
• [14:30] — Titania’s confession about imperfect parenting with tech
• [21:49] — Bark Phone feature explanations and the scale of sextortion
• [29:12] — How predators operate within communities and families
• [34:10] — Church, background checks, and building trusting relationships
• [43:04] — Why delaying social media is so important for children’s mental health
• [44:10] — The Tim Tebow Foundation’s mission: fighting for the “Most Vulnerable People”
• [53:13] — Presence over presents: the most important gift parents can give

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Practical Takeaways for Parents

• Assume your child is at risk—act accordingly, not fearfully.
• Delay access to unsupervised devices and social media.
• Choose tech that empowers parental oversight (Bark Phone & Bark Watch specifically mentioned).
• Parent-child communication is the first line of defense; build trust before a crisis.
• Educate yourself on platforms, predator tactics, and mental health red flags.
• Don’t underestimate faith, community, and humility in parenting.

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Closing Reflection

This episode with Titania Jordan and Tim Tebow is as much a call to arms as it is a source of hope. The threats are real, but so are the tools and the power of parental love. The fight to protect children online is ongoing, and it’s one that every parent, caregiver, and community member must join—armed with vigilance, compassion, the right tools, and a commitment to showing up, again and again.

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Transcript

[A]

Tim Tebow is a Heisman Trophy winner, two time national champion, former NFL quarterback, and one of the most recognizable athletes of his generation. But these days, the work he's most passionate about has nothing to do with sports. Through the Tim Tebow Foundation, Tim has spent years fighting child sexual exploitation, advocating for people with special needs through his worldwide Night to Shine celebrations, and pushing for real legislative change to protect kids around the world, including championing the Report act, landmark federal legislation targeting online child exploitation. Today, he's joining us to talk about something every parent is wrestling with right now. How do we protect our children in a digital world that can be as dangerous as it is connecting? And what do we need to understand about the very real threats hiding behind the screens our kids carry in their pockets? Let's get into it. Tim Tebow. Oh, my gosh. We're here together in real life.

[B]

Yes. I love it. Thank you so much for having me. We're so grateful and thank you for everything that y' all are doing and stand for and for protecting so many kids. We're so grateful.

[A]

Dude. I'm gonna try not to be speechless because my job is to talk today so we'll get through this. My mom and dad say hi.

[B]

Please tell him I said hello.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Condolences about your dad. But also we're celebrating that he's with Jesus.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

And as a believer, I'm so grateful for how you have led the way for believers around the world to not be ashamed of your faith and to use it. Because while Bark is not a faith based company, there's a lot of people who love Jesus at our company. And the reason I am where I am, I firmly believe, is because I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, including parent kids in this world and help to lead a company that helps protect over seven and a half million children across the nation.

[B]

Awesome.

[A]

So let's go.

[B]

Let's go.

[A]

All right.

[B]

That is awesome.

[A]

So you have seen the darkest side of what the Internet enables predators using technology to access and exploit children at scale. And before we get into the parenting conversations, can you help our listeners understand the scope of what you're witnessing through the foundation?

[B]

Sometimes Titania. It's actually really hard to describe. It's really hard to try to put into clear words the the level and the magnitude of evil and also how well many people with the goal to do evil work together better than those with the goal to do good. Very often when you just look at a high level, there's more people in Slavery now than maybe ever before in history. And 50 plus million people that are trapped in human trafficking. And this year you will have over 400 million boys and girls that will be sexually exploited or sexually abused around the world. And we think about those numbers like, as humanity. We don't fall in num with, we don't fall in love with numbers, but numbers give us a scale. We fall in love with people, but every single person we care about now we need to think, wow, multiply that times, however many, and that's the level of evil that is taking place around the world. And then sometimes a lot of people will think, well, it's not happening here in America. It's not happening in our backyard. It's not happening in our communities. You know, we watch the movie Taken, we think it's over there. It's not over there, it's right here. It's right in our backyards, and it's on every single device. And one of our really good friends and partners, Dr. Michael Burke, who ran the behavioral analysis for the US Marshals, one time we were meeting and he said something really profound that stuck with me. He said, every time a mom or a dad hands a cell phone or an iPad or a device to their boy or girl, it's like dropping them off at a playground with hundreds of pedophiles walking around. And the visual when you think about that is you think, there's no parent that I know that would be willing that, hey, you know, Johnny, go play, go on the swings, go hang out, knowing that there are hundreds of pedophiles walking around like, you would never do that. But we hand him a device and it looks and many times feels innocent. But what we're not aware of is that there are thousands and thousands of people that their goal, that their goal is to exploit, is to groom, is to lure, is to do something with an evil intent to that boy or girl. I mean, there's literally warehouses around the world that, that are created and built of people that their goal is just for this.

[A]

I am so glad that we started right off the bat with what parents really need to know, because that's one of our biggest obstacles as people who are trying to fight this evil is helping the general public a face the worst of what's happening on this planet because it is real. And most people just, they can't wrap their brain around it. They don't want to think it could happen to their child. They don't want to accept it, much less face it. We have to talk about it we have to face it and then we have to fight it.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

So you were instrumental in pushing for the Report act and other federal legislation around online child exploitation. Walk us through that fight. What did it take to move the needle in Washington and where do things stand now?

[B]

Well, there's a lot of people that were behind the Report act and a lot of people that did a whole lot more than us. But we are grateful that the Report act got through. We're fighting in so many other areas of legislation because there's so much that has to be done. But one of the things with the Report act that we're very grateful for is also forcing Big Tech to be able to preserve the images and the data. Before it was only 90 days. Now they have to keep it for a year. And so many times when it's just 90 days, law enforcement can get in there and do the investigation in time before it's gone. And so now to be able to keep that for a year and there are several other things that modernizes the NCMEC side to make it easier and being able to store that on the cloud and so many different things that it does. I also really like that that they NCMEC now has the guidelines to be able to then tell to Big Tech, hey, these are the signs of what human trafficking exploitation looks like and working with them to then teach them how to report that back. Now I also wish it was mandatory for that to take place. So there's so many, so, so many things that we still have to get through. We're fighting every single day on the renewed and, and many other things because we really feel like there are so many battlefronts in, in this battle. And that's what I believe. And I think it's the best language battle of good versus evil. And on some of those battle fronts, it is in D.C. and it is in Congress that we have to be able to create the right legislation to be able to protect boys and girls. And it's something that should be bipartisan, bicameral. And sometimes it is, but it's amazing in front of the cameras. Many times, you know, it's easy for people to say the right thing, but behind the scenes in the room, there's a reason that it takes so long or many times it doesn't get through because no one's publicly going to say they're against these things. But privately some have to be because if not, it wouldn't take this long or it would also happen. So let's be honest There's a lot of people that are staying in the way of protecting a lot of boys and girls.

[A]

I'm so glad you raised this, because what you and I know, but those watching and listening might not know is that the Kids Online Safety act still has not been passed. The laws meant to protect children online haven't been updated since we were in high school. And they protect the platforms, not the children. If there was a car that had a faulty seatbelt and people were dying, it would be recalled, there would be lawsuits. If there was a kid's bike that was putting kids in harm's way, that thing would be off the shelves. But every single day, children are knowingly allowed to be harmed on the platforms that could stop it and don't. And we recently saw some pretty landmark lawsuits take place that are finally holding Meta, that owns Instagram and WhatsApp and Facebook among others, as well as Google, who owns YouTube, accountable. Snap and TikTok settled, which also speaks volumes to the discovery that they did not want released. Anyway. We could go down a rabbit hole. But one more thing, you know, you talk about extending it to one year. Sometimes it will take 18 months for a platform to get back to a law enforcement official who's trying to get to the bottom of a child being abused.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Who is holding that up? If you're an engineer at one of these companies and you don't just respond right away, what's wrong with you? So anyway, we're calling it out today.

[B]

And then I also think something that's really important to mention is you have more platforms that are going end to end encryption.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And you know, there's many reasons why they could say why and many try to, but it also, I think sometimes it's just because they say, look, we didn't know when. Many times they do know it's on their platform. And we just wrote an amicus brief to the Supreme Court because we want them to be able to look at John Doe versus Twitter of a 13 and 14 year old boy that were being sextorted. And it started on Snapchat, then it went to Twitter and they verified themselves to Twitter as a family. The boy, the. The 13 or 14 year old boy and their families verified it and Twitter said, no, we're not taking it down. This doesn't violate our worst moments of their life. They didn't even get a reason. They just said, no, we're not taking it down. And thankfully, you know, right. People got involved and they, it did get taken down after a while. And so we're really hoping and praying the Supreme Court would hear it and would be willing to look at it because maybe it could be the start of a tweak in some of these areas and affecting section 230, 100%.

[A]

You know, there's so many families that think it won't happen to my child, but then it does. And then they reach out to law enforcement to bark to anybody, you know, to get help. And they think, surely, surely I can reach out to somebody and say, hey, there are graphic images or videos of my child online. Can you help me take this down? And to not get a response or to get a response, which I have seen this. They say this does not violate community standards. In what world? And so anyway, we'll move on because this could be a whole hour just on that. But so like, how does this happen? Right? A lot of parents are like, okay, you know, like, I'll know if my kid's being targeted. I'll, I'll just know. I'm here to tell you. You won't. And so let's talk about the tools that predators use grooming through DMs and gaming platforms. Even Roblox. Yes, Roblox. I'm putting you on blast. Apps that have disappearing messages, although they don't disappear. They live on a server somewhere. These aren't hypothetical. They're the same apps and devices sitting our kids hands right now. So what specific platforms or behaviors should parents be most alarmed about?

[B]

I mean, to be honest, and not trying to just like speak and hyperbole, I think all of them.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

I think that we want to be able to support and give our kids the best, give them maybe things we didn't have and love them and support them and let them flourish. But sometimes I really believe that we have to also protect them sometimes against what they want. And kids are going to be able to want a cell phone, they're going to want an iPad, they're going to be able to watch these shows. But the ability for the enemy to be able to get on those devices, get on those platforms, get on, get on those gaming tools, all of them, right? And with the goal to lure, to groom, to sextort, to manipulate, to be able to sometimes now with some of these groups cause some really horrific evil and we have to first choose to protect. 1 Corinthians 13:7. I love it. Love always protects. That's how it starts, right? That's what love does. Love should always start by protecting, like choosing the best interest of another person and acting on their behalf. In my opinion, that's the greatest form of love. It's not an emotion, it's not a feeling. It's a choice. And we have to make that choice for our boys and girls. We have to make that choice for the next generation, choose their best interest and act on their behalf. And. And sometimes that's not necessarily what they want, but we have to sometimes know better that if they're in that platform that they are at risk. You're dropping that kid off at a playground with pedophiles walking around and their goal is to do evil, nothing but. And we have to choose maybe not what they want, but what is best for them and to protect them. And I think that goes across all the platforms. And I'm so grateful that Bark is giving the opportunity for parents to actually be in control, to know what's taking place, to be able to put safety and protect, because we're going to choose their best interest and act on their behalf first.

[A]

Don't you make me cry. You just pulled out that verse and it's like we're not redoing makeup. We don't have time for that. Yeah. So many things. I'm a mom of a 17 year old. Shout out. Jackson, I love you so much. Gosh, I'm proud of you.

[B]

What's up, Jackson?

[A]

And my passion and my preaching on parenting doesn't come from a place of perfection. I did everything right. Quite the opposite, in fact. As a tech executive, as somebody who understood social media and was addicted to it, I knew very well the harms, mentally and physically. And yet I still allowed my own son to play certain video games, to have Tech in his room, to have access to social media before his brain and heart were ready to let tech be a babysitter for my kid. Because I needed to take a conference call or just have some quiet time. So I get it. When I'm telling you these things, it's not because I'm perfect. It's because I wish I could go back in time and do a lot of things differently. And I can't. But what I can do is work with Tim and our amazing team to educate you on what you can do. And it is about being in control. I wrote a book called Parental A Guide to Raising Kids in the Digital Era to not only talk about my personal experience, but also our work at Bark and what parents really need to know. How does tech affect children's minds, hearts, bodies? You know, you're talking about the dangers and I don't know if you Mentioned just affecting our children's sense of self worth.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

And confidence. They are feeling like they're not enough. And God has given each one of them a purpose and a plan for this life.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

So this one, I signed this for you and Demi Lee.

[B]

I love it. Thank you so much. We need it because, you know, we've been at this parenting thing a really long time. I feel like we're experts. Not even close. We're 10 months in, literally today. Today is Daphne's 10 month celebration. So it is so sweet and such an honor. And now we're just trying to figure it out every step along the way. But I tell you, one of the unique things that I felt when we left the hospital, we're bringing him, bringing her home was the crazy weight of responsibility.

[A]

Right.

[B]

People would say sometimes, did you ever know you could love something so much? And I was like, yeah. I actually felt from the moment Demi told me she was pregnant, I felt like this crazy, overwhelming love. But I feel like one of the things that was so enhanced when we got into the car and they were like, wait, you're letting this amazing, beautiful baby come with us by herself? It was so scary. Where's the manual? Right? And we drive, and I drive home, and I'm like, doing like, 25 under the speed limit, you know, fully 10 and 2. And Demi's like, you know, it's more dangerous because you're going so slow, right? And we get to the house and we put Daphne in the bassinet, and I'm kind of like, all right, Demi, what do we do now? Like, what's the next step? And so we're just totally trying to figure it out. But that weight of responsibility. When I got home, I couldn't help but think, we got to change that. We got to change that. We got to change that. Because one day she could fall there, one day she could slip there, one day that could fall on her. One. And. And so we think about that in a. In a tangible way, Right. A slip and a fall or could hurt herself. But why don't we think the same way when we hand them a device? Because the level of danger is equal, if not so much more. Because there are so many people with the goal to do evil. And just like we want to protect them in a physical space, we have to so much more be prepared to protect them emotionally, spiritually, and away from those that have the goal to do evil and strictly harm 100%.

[A]

And, you know, I'm thinking about baby proofing 17 years ago. And, like, it was so great to just be able to put an electrical cover on the socket and be like, check. I know that at least until Jackson's like, four years old, he's not gonna be wrangling that thing out. Right. Like, we have locked that down. But that's why Bark was built, because children are spending upwards of eight hours a day with connected tech that parents think might be safe. Not to mention the tech that their school gives them or that they can access at a friend's house on the school bus. And we're not anti tech. Like, tech is how we're able to make this podcast right now and connect and educate. And I read my Bible app every day. So, like, tech is amazing, but it's a tool.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And we don't give third graders chainsaws when they go out into the woods.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

So why are we giving them a tool that can access the entire world and let the entire world access them? Yes.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Yeah. Like, on what world does that make any sense whatsoever?

[B]

And it's absolutely terrifying.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And I think that being able to frame it in a way that you did, I think the chainsaw example is a really good example because it's giving something that we can really understand, the level of magnitude and the gravity. And I don't want people to think we're just trying to share because we. We have a vendetta we don't like. I'm not against tech either. I love it. I think we can do some amazing things with it. But it is a tool, and it's how it's used. And it can be used for incredible things, but it can also be used for evil. And I believe Bark is being used to be able to protect boys and girls, to give moms and dads confidence of what is taking place, to give them assurance that I am caring the right way for my boys and girls. I am caring for this family because there is that deep level of responsibility we should all feel as parents, and there is a weight that goes with it. And if we can help carry a little bit of that burden for that family to help protect that boy or girl. Because I really believe that there's so many really important levels of parenting responsibility. But is there anything more important than protecting them?

[A]

Not at all. Not if anyone argues with that. You're insane. Like, there is no argument against that. Right. And that's what we've gotten so far away from, is common sense, you know? And so I want to give a shout out to our CEO Brian Basin, dad of two, who actually left Twitter to start Bark, a shout out to our cto, Brandon Hilkert, who built the Bark phone to protect his own two kids. And in addition to Bark being built to monitor these exact threat vectors like predatory contact, self harm, bullying, the ability for children to be able to use tech and not put themselves in nefarious situations like the Bark phone, if a child goes to take a nude photo or video, it won't even take the photo, it won't even save to the device. And if we at Bark, a team of 100 are able to prevent child sexual abuse material from being captured, the bigger players in the space could too, and they choose not to. And if a child is, if somebody's trying to send a child a nude, it won't even go through.

[B]

And I think it's so vital, and I'm grateful you brought up that last example, because one of the faster growing trends are so many crime types and levels of evil, but one that is growing so much is sextortion.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And there are warehouses of people all over the world that their goal is to sextort boys and girls. And also one of the demographics that we know the enemy is going after in sextortion is boys that play sports.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Because they assume they have a platform in their school and a reputation. And so they're going after and catfishing them, pretending to be a pretty young girl and sending them an explicit photo. And then, you know, the boys responding, believing that it's a young girl. And then once they, they send that back, they're saying, we got you now. And unfortunately, dozens and dozens of boys have now committed suicide because of it, and often within the first two hours because they don't know what to do. And they feel so ashamed. And first, I just think it's important to the parents, like, we got to have such a good relationship of trust and communication that they know if this does happen to you, that your son or your daughter can come talk to us, that we can have that relationship. But also, like with the Bark Phone, that doesn't have to happen. And so we can prevent it in the first place, which is just so crucial. But it's gotta be in their hands and they gotta be using it for that to take place. And people think, well, how big of an issue is this? And I would just say, in 2024 alone, Meta took down 74,000 accounts from Nigeria alone for sextortion. From Nigeria alone, 74,000 accounts just on sextortion. Like, this is a huge growing issue. And you know, you kind of trace it back to about 2016 and seeing the trend of it. And actually the start of that trend was actually more in that it was more about pedophilia and the pleasure side of it. But it's actually grown to become more of the goal of individuals with trying to lure a groom to gain money and get money and truly sextort them in extortion way. But now you also see groups that are doing it to cause pain in really terrible, terrible ways. And so there's kind of been this horrific, it's all horrific, but evolution of sextortion that is growing and I'm so grateful there's something that is actually on the front end fighting back.

[A]

If for some reason you don't trust Tim Tebow or myself, feel free to Google the FBI alerts and warnings that they have released to the general public about sextortion. That's on the rise about 764, which is absolute evil aggregated at scale. And if you are the parent of a, let's say 14 to 17 year old boy and your heart is like in a vice right now, press pause, go talk to your child and say, hey, I heard about this thing that's happening. It maybe has even happened to some of your friends. And I want you to know that if, God forbid, you have sent in nude to somebody, I would rather you come and tell me you're not going to get in trouble.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

Than take your life. Because there are children that have decided to die by suicide because they were too ashamed and afraid to come to their parent and admit what had happened. You know, South Carolina State Representative Brandon Guffey's son died by suicide because of this. And I'm covered in chills. We're going to have him on the podcast. Not one more child. Yeah, not one more child. So have that conversation. Let your kids know that you're a safe place and you're not going to freak out on them.

[B]

And can I just add, please, into that. There's, there's also so many families that, that we know that have gone through this, that thought this could never happen to us.

[A]

Right.

[B]

This could never happen to us. And I think that it's really important for us to, I think, try to step back and in humility, that something that I have to try to work on every day, to step back and really be humbled to think, no, you know, we all are one decision or one argument away from something like that. And, you know, our loved ones could be at risk. You know, they Have a bad practice, they have a bad game, they get a bad grade, they get in an argument, something happens and all of a sudden they make a choice and they do something like, we can be so close to that. And let's not have that. That wall of shelter of thinking, man, this could never happen to us. And we see that so often. And I just think it's really important. Maybe we could just take a step of humility and say, okay, better to think that this couldn't happen. Then, hey, how can we best protect it from happening? There really, there's a really big difference.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And I think that we need to take that approach to say, okay, let's do everything that we can for this not to happen. Let's build those bonds and those relationships, let's have an open dialogue of convers conversation and let's try to do everything we can to prevent it in the front end.

[A]

Exactly. And, and what Tim is alluding to too is the fact that good kids make bad choices. You know, I don't know about you when you were 13, but I didn't always make the best choices. Exactly.

[B]

Still, sometimes I am.

[A]

Well, same. But like the frontal lobe of our

[B]

brains, it's not developed.

[A]

It's not fully developed. That's why kids need parents. That's why they're not allowed to live alone until they're 18. Like we're not capable and so we can't place the burden on them to make adult choices when they give them adult tools. So, and to your point too, not to make you nauseous, but like this could happen to Daphne, this could happen to Jackson, it could happen to any child. And that's why we have to prevent it.

[B]

So we were in a meeting a couple years ago with several different organizations and meeting about certain things and we were going through some of the key words and phrases that were being used as repetition by those with the goal to do evil of the certain phrases that they were using. And one of our team members that has been here almost since the beginning, that's just a rock star in ministry and fighting for the most vulnerable, she goes home and she goes and hugs her daughter. Of course, after that meeting, like she had to like a lot of intense stuff and hard and start talking to her daughter. And her daughter pulls up one of the conversations she was having and the exact phrases that we were going over all day that they were using as what they believed were some of the best pitches, words, phrases, I mean, that's how much they work on it. These are the Best phrase to lure, to groom a kid. These phrases are the best. So they'll repeat them over and over again in conversations. And she sees that, she just gets goosebumps and instantly has to go to work now. Right. Like, and that's an amazing family that's right here that serves and works in this fight every day.

[A]

These are not unintelligent people that never left their parents house and are living in their mom's basement, which is sometimes

[B]

I so try to share because sometimes we think it's like that guy in the basement that's like Cheetos all over his chest, you know, and haven't showered in 17 days.

[A]

Yes. No, no, no.

[B]

And it's not, it's, you know, it's so many individuals that, especially here in the States, that in the world's eyes would be some form of successful. But they're really good at manipulation and they've built a life around manipulation, around disguising who they are. And then they also work very hard of finding ways to be alone with children.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And if that ever happens, no matter who it is, no matter how you think you, how much you love them or trust them, you always should be skeptical. If anybody wants to find a way to be alone with your children. End of story. Period.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

I don't care how long they've been around your family, it doesn't matter. You should put the protection of your children first. I know it might sound harsh, and I'm not trying to be harsh. I'm just saying we see this every single day. Every single day. Oh, this family member, this uncle, this parental figure, this friend. We've known them for years. We grew up together. All of a sudden, no, they just, you know, find a way or they're going to do this or all of a sudden they're just in our daughter's room or just wanting to put her to sleep. Whatever reason, if they're finding a reason to be alone one on one with your kids, first, don't let it happen. Second, if they do, you need to have all alarms antennas go off and you need to go question.

[A]

To reduce the rate of human trafficking, you've got to cut off the buyer demand.

[B]

Yes. And the buyers, we're working very hard on the demand side.

[A]

The buyers could be your local pastor or congressman or doctor or dentist or principal. So we can talk about that. But you know, I don't know if you know this or not, and I talk about it in the book, but I'm a survivor of childhood sexual abuse.

[B]

I'm so sorry.

[A]

Thank you. But, but I'm. I'm not going to say I'm glad that happened to me. But I am grateful that I now know acutely how it can happen in a family where you have loving parents. We found him through our church, right? We trusted him because he was part of our Baptist church. And it didn't seem like a problem to be alone with him because he went to church. He loved Jesus. He was fun and outgoing and kind and a great babysitter. But he also had a darkness about him. And I share that because my parents taught me about body safety and autonomy. They taught me about private parts and they did everything they could have done. And yet it still happened. And I think one of the reasons it happened is to help me be aware and educate everybody else that it can happen to anybody, including me. And you've got to talk about it and you got to fight it. And these people look like people that you hang out with every day.

[B]

Last week I was at an event and getting a chance to meet some of the people and a grown man came up to me and he was trying to fight back tears and eventually couldn't help it. And he burst into tears and he gave me a hug and he brought his head really close to where his he was speaking, whispering right into my ear and he couldn't get anything out because he was weeping and weeping and weeping. And he finally pulled it together for just a second and he said, hey Tim, I just want you to know you gotta keep going. Because my 4 year old boy was at a camp, one we trusted, one that stood for all of the right things and the evil he had to experience was horrible. Keep going. And that dad did not think it was going to happen to his boy at that camp. One offender that I heard not too long ago sharing was abusing kids also at a church. And when they were investigating him and interrogating him, he said they never thought that a man of God could do this. They never thought in the church, no one would ever suspect me because I want to serve in the church and in every way, shape and form, in every place in church, especially in church, our first goal should not be how can we get more people to serve, it's how can we protect the ones we are serving.

[A]

Love always protects.

[B]

Love always protects, right? And if they really want to serve, then they will be fine. When you are doing background checks, when you are having them fill things out, when you are having them monitored, because if they really care, it's like, man, I love this I want you to monitor. Please do it, because I know you're doing that for the right reason.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

The only people that are going to get irritated with it are those that have something nefarious that's going on 100%.

[A]

It's like when I'm going through the Atlanta airport, shout out, Hartsfield Jackson International Airport. Like, you know, some people are really cranky and I'm just like, thank you. Thank you for making sure that we are safe when we fly.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Thank you so much. And any safety protocols surrounding children and adults. Thank you. Let's not have flare up about it. Gosh, there's so much to talk about and I know we've got a long day ahead of us. What is your plan? You and Demi Leigh for Daphne? You know, you've spent years fighting for children's safety online, but once you have a kid, it's very different. You're like, oh, wow. You know, like the iPad could really easily just occupy her. How are y' all managing this?

[B]

Carefully, prayerfully, thoughtfully. We, we don't have all the answers. We're just taking it day by day, trying to choose her best interest and act on her behalf. Trying to have those conversations now before it gets to that point.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Trying to think through all of the different landscapes of what her life could look like and how best we could protect. Trying to get wise counsel to speak into it. I really believe Proverbs, he who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm and try to get a lot of people to speak into our life and trying to best steward her because ultimately she's not even ours. She's God's first and God is just let us have the blessing of stewarding her and what a blessing and gift that she is and just trying to think and pray whatever ways that we can best set her up to live out her God given purpose. And everything that y' all have done for a long time with the bark phone is absolutely going to be part of her life. Without, without a doubt. This space is changing every single day.

[A]

Right.

[B]

It really is. And we want to be willing to adapt and change because the problems that kids were facing in the 70s was different than the 90s and it was different in the 90s than the tens. And it's different now because tech is changing. The way that the enemy is using different things to lure and groom is different. And we want to be willing to try to learn and adapt. So when that they're changing and their schemes with their goals, we have to also change with our love to protect. And we have to do that on a daily basis.

[A]

Amen. As you were talking about Daphne, I had the verse in my head, raise your child in the way they should go and when they are old, they will not depart from it. So I'm holding firm to that right now.

[B]

I only heard my dad say that. I don't know, maybe couple thousand times, same, same.

[A]

So I'm like, all right, hope Jackson starts going back to church dropping that hint for you. And you mentioned a phone too. Like got a long, long time before Daphne needs a phone. And even before the phone bark also has a watch too. So like when she starts to ride her bike and that sort of thing, you don't have to jump right to a smartphone. And a lot of parents though feel the pressure to give their kids phones early because everyone else has it. And y', all, I'm here to tell you, like for real, you are afraid as a parent for your kid to be left out. You want them to be accepted and have friends and not feel that pain. And that's probably the biggest pushback we get from parents is like, ah, I know, I just. But I don't want them to be left out. Whether it's Snap or an iPhone, whatever. And I'm here to tell you, you do want them to be left out. You want them to be left out of the bullying, of the negative impact to their self worth, to the graphic violent sexual content, to the doom scroll, to the misinformation, to kids turning to AI instead of parental insight and wisdom, to kids not sleeping at night because they're like, you do want them to be left out. And it's not an all or nothing thing. That's why we built the Bark phone, the Bark watch and other bark products so kids could have tech engage with it safely, but you, the parent, could remain in control.

[B]

That's right. And look at what is taking place in our country and around the world. There is a loneliness and an anxiety epidemic that is taking place. Like I think it was Japan just hired a minister of loneliness.

[A]

What?

[B]

Like, this is. This is real. Why is this happening? We have to really take a step back. One of the reasons, in my opinion is because we are surrounded by people and stuff. But with not actually having real fellowship and community, we might be surrounded by a lot of people on our phones and we might have friends on social media, but it doesn't mean we have fellowship, doesn't mean we have intimacy, it doesn't mean we have community.

[A]

Right.

[B]

We Get a lot of stuff and we have access to a lot of stuff without community. Like I think, and I'm very new and to being a parent and very imperfect. And we're trying to learn every day from so many that have done amazing jobs and fortunate to have an amazing mom and dad. But before we think about trying to give our kids access to more stuff, we need to teach them the value and the worth of who they are and their identity.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And actually build a community of fellowship and relationship and intimacy with them before you're going to hand them something to give them access to the world and the world access to them and say, hey, you can handle this. Because let's be honest, we can't handle it.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

Because when we get on social medias and big tech platform, everything is telling us, you need to look like her,

[A]

you are not enough, you need to

[B]

act like him, you need to change, you need to be more of this. And I do not believe that at the same time, you can have a heart posture of comparison and gratitude. I do not believe that they can coexist. You can go back and forth, but if you're living in a state of comparison, and I know I've done this many times, like too many times, like, you know, I could get and watch a game and I could get in a state of comparison, like I want to be doing that, I could be doing that, you know, like, and instantly what's gone is my gratitude. Because what I'm really saying to God when I'm in that state of comparison, what I'm really saying to him in a conscious or subconscious way is, God, you made a mistake on my life. And I can't be saying that and have a place of gratitude. I can't be saying that saying, God, thank you for the blessings that you have let me be a part of. And I think when we're getting on these platforms and they can be used for good at times, I want to say that. But also when we're falling into the trap of loneliness, anxiety and comparison, it is the actual thief of joy and gratitude. And that is something that's terrifying to

[A]

me and it should be, and rightfully so, because there's data to support that. The algorithms will surface to you what they think you want to see to keep you in the app as long as possible. They're making money off of you. They might be free to download, but there is a cost. The cost is your time and your health and your well being. And time is the most precious resource we have on this planet. None of us know how much we have here. And every single minute we give to a platform where we're not authentically connecting or educating or creating, it's gone. We will never get that back. And it's not just neutral time. It's negative time. It is making us dumber, and it is fueling the mental health crisis. So if your kids are asking you for social media. Oh, my friends are on. It's how they connect. I'm here to tell you they don't need it. They don't need it. They can have a fulfilling, healthy life without snap, without TikTok, without Instagram, like, they don't need it. I will fight you on that.

[B]

I believe you.

[A]

Until at least 16, I would say there's a time and a place for it, but, like, we don't let kids drive cars until they're serious.

[B]

It's not that we're against it. There's a time and place and there's some amazing things that happen on it. There are some people that use it for incredible ways to help so many people. So there's a lot of amazing things that can take place, but there's. It's also a place that, if unchecked and not prepared for it, can lead you into some really, really tough places.

[A]

Speaking of the good. Because this isn't just all about, like, everything's bad, you know, let's freak out. One of the accounts that I love to follow on Instagram in particular is the Tim Tebow Foundation. As well as your account, you have built a significant platform, and social media is genuinely how you spread the foundation's mission, which, you know, again, is great. So tell us about the Tim Tebow Foundation. How can people get involved? What are you doing? Like, this is amazing. And we all need to rally and support this.

[B]

Well, thank you. Our mission statement is to bring faith, hope, and love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need. To really sum it up, it's a fight for people that can't fight for themselves. And one of the things that I felt like God started to do in my life was at a pretty young age, I knew I was trying to chase trying to be the best I could in sports, and I loved it. I loved to win and I hated to lose. Still kind of do. But God started to break my heart. Not for the MVP of Most Valuable Player, but for the MVP of the most vulnerable people and started to challenge me. Timmy, which one are you going to care about more? Because which one do you think I care about more. And I know I've missed the mark many days on my life, but I'm grateful for God's grace in that, that he uses imperfect people. And I believe that he has called me and us into this fight to care for the most vulnerable people on planet earth. And God has allowed us to now be able to do that in a lot of places around the country and around the world. And we want to do that in any way, shape and form and a big piece of our heart. And so much of we're working on right now is the fight against human trafficking, child exploitation, child sacrifice, sextortion, grooming, all the above. And why it's really important that we break them down into different silos is because it's not actually the same crime type, right. So many times we put it into a category and we talk about it that way, but it's not actually accurate. And when we put it in that we paint with too broad of a brush, then we're not actually going to understand the crime type and how best to fight against it. There's a lot of different nuances and goals of those to do evil in it. Right. When you're talking about human trafficking primarily that is a crime of profit. You know, the traffickers, their goal is profit on that. When you talk about child sexual abuse material online, so much of the goal is pleasure actually on that. When you're talking about sextortion we talked about a little bit earlier, it's been an evolution of starting with really with the pleasure and then getting into the profit. And now there's the. So many people that are using it very much on the sadistic side. So it's really important that when we talk about it, we try to dive in and create awareness because how best, how could we have a good strategy if we're not aware of what the goal is of what the enemy is trying to do? Like, could you imagine if, you know, in football if we were just like, hey, you know, we're just going to run this play, you know, you don't just run a play. You do it based on what the defense is doing. You do it on how they line up, on what's their goal and what's their scheme, right? And now you best call the play to use to your team's advantage against that. And we have to understand what the enemy is trying to do. So as, as families, as individuals, as a non profit, as those that are trying to do good in an imperfect way if we want to understand what they're doing. So that we can best know how to fight back, how best to protect our kids, how best to train up the next generation, how best to care for those. And then how best to be able to help the true mvp, the most vulnerable people.

[A]

The enemy prowls around like a lion, A hungry lion ready to devour anyone it can.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

And don't think for a second that doesn't mean your children.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

You mentioned being imperfect.

[B]

And we know his plan. It's very simple. It's, you know, John 10:10, the thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy.

[A]

Yeah. But there it is.

[B]

But Jesus came to bring life and life abundantly. There is an enemy. He is real. We know his scheme. We know his goals. But we also know that we serve a king that's already won and is coming back to finish the job.

[A]

Amen. Like, let's go. Like, let's. Let's go do stuff now. Like, I'm ready. Let's go. It's a battle, and we're on the side of the winner.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

You mentioned imperfection, which is, like. I had to stifle a giggle because, like, you're kind of close to perfect, you and your wife. It's like, you're pretty perfect, but, like. You know what I mean?

[B]

Very far from.

[A]

But I love what you said there, because I used to be more shy about sharing my faith because I am so far from perfect. I've made a lot of bad choices. Like, I say bad words sometimes. Sorry, dad, but like, you know, but that's the beauty of Christianity and grace is that God loves you. Jesus died for you.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

Not just the perfect people.

[B]

Wow. And I'm very, very far from perfect. But I think one of the mistakes that we often make is we think that Christianity is a museum for good people. That we walk in and we look and we're like, wow, this is really cool. It's not. Christianity is a hospital for the broken.

[A]

Yes. Yeah. Of which I am very. And have no problem admitting that. And. And grateful for.

[B]

We're all broken. The question is, do we actually realize it, though? Do we realize that we're broken, that we need a healer, that we're sinners, and we need a savior that we're lost, but we need someone to find us. And King Jesus has been on the greatest love story, rescue mission for all of humanity.

[A]

Amen.

[B]

And he finished the job when he said it is finished on the cross. And he offers us this free gift of eternal life to anyone that would Believe.

[A]

Anyone, Anyone, Anyone? Jewish, Muslim, atheist. You living in the remote jungles or in the big city, no matter what

[B]

you've done, it's the most inclusive message in the most exclusive way.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

For God so loved the world he gave his only son that whosoever would believe would not perish, but have everlasting life.

[A]

Amen. And I have to say, you know, Bark Technologies for profit company, Not a faith based company, not a nonprofit. But the support that I have from my team to be able to talk about my personal faith really means the world to me. And I'm just so grateful to be able to combine such a very deeply personal aspect of my life with a professional one. And at Bark, we help protect all families, just Christian families. We help you no matter what you believe. And because all kids deserve to be

[B]

protected, Every single kid deserves to be protected, deserves to be able to have a chance to really know what love looks like, what care looks like, what family looks like. And my life was really radically impacted. My dad, in a country where faith isn't allowed, had the opportunity to purchase the freedom of four little girls. And that was many years ago. And that's actually how I got into this fight and this battle of good versus evil. Not long after, I got to get to that location. And the first little girl that ran up to me was a little girl that didn't make enough money one day, and her mom was selling her. And her mom being in such a place of desperation and frustration, she took her and she boiled out her eye because she thought, if she can't make enough money like this, I'll make her look worse and maybe she'll make a little bit more. And I was standing there. And I was thinking, what do you. What do you say to her? What do you say to a little girl that the first person that sold her was mom and the first person that abused her was dad? What do you say what love looks like when the people that were supposed to love you did this? What do you say what family looks like when the reason you're in this is for a family? What do you say when you want to bring up the love of a heavenly father? But her idea as a father is the worst moment and the worst person of my life? And to be honest, I still don't really know what to say sometimes. But one of the things that I feel like we've learned and maybe figured out a little on the way is sometimes it's not just about what you say, it's just that you show up again and again and again and again and again to say, we're here for you. It's what love does. It always protects and just keep showing up.

[A]

Tim, we could talk for hours. And I think that's a great note to end on. Is presence. Your kids don't need perfect parents. They need present ones. And when you can't be present physically in the room, you can choose safer tech to do the work for you. And so, you know, you don't have to choose bark, but please, for the good of your children, make some safer choices. Don't allow connect tech in the better.

[B]

You should choose bark.

[A]

I mean, to be honest, he said

[B]

it, and I totally echo and believe what you said, that sometimes it's really hard to realize that as parents, that our presence is more important than giving them presents.

[A]

Yes. Yes.

[B]

And so many times we want to spoil them with presence.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But what they really need is mom and dad. Just their presence to be there.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

To love, to build that community, to build that fellowship, to build that relationship, because that's going to be more important and more lasting and more memorable than whatever toy that we just bought them.

[A]

Oh, my gosh. Tim, do you care if we wrap in prayer?

[B]

Of course.

[A]

Yes, I care. Yeah. All right, here we go. Lord, thank you so much for this time with Tim Tebow, the bark team, his team, you have the power to make sure so many parents see this, hear this, share this. And so we are just putting this in your hands. It's one thing if parents don't know that bark is an option, but if at least they know that they can keep their kids safer online, they can be more empowered to protect our children and your children. So we're placing this in your hands. Thank you for what you will do with this. Thank you for the children that we will be able to protect and the lives that we will save. In your precious holy name we pray, Lord Jesus. Amen.

[B]

Amen. Thank you.

[A]

Let's go.

[B]

Let's go. Got a lot of work to do.

[A]

Yeah.