About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges and responsibilities of ensuring children's safety online amidst rising concerns and legislative actions.

There is a lot going on right now regarding the safety of kids online. In the United States, the majority of state legislatures have passed age verification laws requiring a variety of websites to more rigorously verify the age of their visitors. In the United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, Spain, and Germany, lawmakers are considering bans on social media access for anyone under the age of 16—Australia passed its ban in 2025. In schools across the world, smartphones have been removed from classrooms, hallways, and cafeterias. And online, some of the most popular apps and video games with children, such as Discord and Roblox, have implemented default restrictions on what young users can find and who they reach . But all this activity comes after rising crises at home, as an increasing number of behavioral researchers connect increased social media use with increased rates of depression, isolation, and suicidal thoughts . So, until real, societal change takes place, what is a concerned parent to do? That’s what we’re trying to answer today. Today, on the Lock and Code podcast with host David Ruiz, we bring back Anna Brading, editor-in-chief of Malwarebytes Labs and director of content…

People in this episode

Host: David Ruiz

Guest: Anna Brading

Topics covered

• online safety
• children
• social media
• age verification
• cybersecurity
• parenting

Keywords

• online safety
• children
• social media
• cybersecurity
• age verification
• parenting
• mental health
• depression
• isolation
• suicidal thoughts

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Malwarebytes

Places: United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, Spain, Germany, Australia

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