What if the answer to digital parenting concerns isn't about screen time limits or monitoring apps, but about understanding human development itself? In this eye-opening conversation, Diana Graber, author of "Raising Humans in a Digital World" and creator of the Cyber Civics curriculum, reveals why developmental psychology holds the key to healthy technology relationships.
Graber's perspective is refreshingly different. Rather than focusing solely on devices, she examines what makes us human in the first place. She explains why children can't fully engage in ethical thinking until around age 12-13 and how this biological reality should guide when we introduce social media and connected devices. "If we did one simple thing as parents and held off social media until the child's brain was ready for it," Graber notes, "it would solve 99% of our problems."
The conversation explores why empathy emerges as the essential "digital superpower" children need most. Face-to-face interactions in early childhood build empathy muscles that later transfer to online spaces. Sandbox conflicts where children witness the immediate emotional impact of taking a toy teach lessons no screen can replicate. These foundational human experiences must precede digital engagement.
Parents will appreciate Graber's practical guidance on teaching digital literacy at home. Her Cyber Civics curriculum offers over 140 developmentally appropriate lessons covering everything from basic safety to combating misinformation and deepfakes. Each lesson includes activities parents and children can complete together, creating what Graber calls the "trickle-up theory" where adults learn alongside their kids.
Ready to raise humans rather than just digital consumers? Email podcast@wokehomeschooling.com to share your thoughts on maintaining humanity in our increasingly digital world.
We’d be thrilled to offer any homeschoolers in your community 25% off a homeschool curriculum package: https://www.cybercivics.com/home-school
If you'd like to take advantage of this offer, feel free to contact Beverly at beverly@cybercivics.com and let her know you are a Woke Homeschooling community member.
For links and the transcript, visit wokehomeschooling.com/podcast
