"Participate in Your Kid's Screen Time to Know What They're Exposed To Online" Andrea Messick

Host Josh Ochs welcomes Andrea Messick, Chief of Staff and Communications at Midland ISD, to discuss key digital safety challenges impacting schools and families, including group texts, disappearing messages on apps like Snapchat and Signal, and inappropriate content that surfaces off campus and disrupts school days. Messick shares how her experience as a district leader and single parent shapes her approach, including regularly checking her son’s phone. They emphasize adults modeling healthy online behavior, parents participating in kids’ screen time to understand content and algorithms, and setting consistent time limits for younger children. The episode also features teen perspectives on red flags with dangerous strangers online and offers practical alternatives to device “pacifiers,” like car-ride learning conversations and restaurant routines that build independence and communication skills.