FREE RESOURCES
A resource library for parents and families.
Books, documentaries, organizations, and tools worth knowing about — curated and fact-checked, alongside the crisis and reporting resources every family should have on hand.
CRISIS & REPORTING RESOURCES
Crisis & Reporting Resources
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)
The nation's centralized reporting system for online child sexual exploitation, plus resources for families. 24-hour hotline: 1-800-843-5678.
Take It Down (NCMEC)
A free service to help remove nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit images or videos of a minor from participating platforms.
NCMEC CyberTipline
Report suspected online child sexual exploitation, including enticement and sextortion, directly to NCMEC.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Free, confidential 24/7 support for mental health crises, including for teens in distress. Call or text 988.
BOOKS
Books
Good Pictures Bad Pictures
​Kristen Jenson / Defend Young Minds
An age-appropriate read-aloud book to help young kids understand and resist pornography exposure.
The Anxious Generation
Jonathan Haidt
A research-backed look at how smartphones and social media are reshaping childhood mental health, with practical family and school guidance.
The Screentime Solution
Emily Cherkin
A judgment-free guide to becoming a tech-intentional family with practical, non-shaming strategies.
DOCUMENTARIES
Documentaries
A free documentary from Bark featuring pediatricians, mental-health professionals, and real families on the dangers facing kids in the digital age.
An award-winning documentary by physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston exploring family struggles with social media, gaming, and internet use.
ADVOCACY & EDUCATION ORGANIZATIONS
Advocacy & Education Organizations
Protect Young Eyes
Parent-facing resource hub with device reviews, up-to-date app and platform safety guides, and educational talks.
NCOSE Parent Center
A free resource from NCOSE giving parents fast, trustworthy guidance on urgent online-safety questions.
Defend Young Minds
Tools and curricula for parents and educators to prevent pornography exposure and build healthy media habits in kids.
Fight the New Drug
A non-religious, non-legislative nonprofit raising awareness of pornography's harmful effects using research and personal accounts.
National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE)
​Advocacy and policy organization focused on the intersection of sexual exploitation and digital platforms.
Enough Is Enough
A non-partisan nonprofit that has led national efforts to make the internet safer for children and families since 1994.
FREE BUILT-IN TOOLS
Free Built-In Tools
Apple Screen Time
Free content restrictions, app limits, and downtime scheduling already built into any iPhone or iPad.
Google Family Link
Free parental controls for Android devices and Google accounts — content filters, screen time limits, and app approval.
PAID PARENTAL CONTROL TOOLS
Paid Parental Control Tools
Bark
AI-powered monitoring across texts, YouTube, email, and social media, alerting parents to bullying, predatory behavior, or concerning content. Ideal for parents seeking early warnings about risks as their children become more independent online.
CleanBrowsing
A free DNS-based content filter for a device or home Wi-Fi network that blocks adult content while allowing normal browsing. An easy, low-maintenance starting point for household internet protection.
Troomi
A kid-safe smartphone that unlocks features gradually as a child matures, with parent-approved apps and no default social media. A middle-ground option for families ready to introduce more smartphone capabilities gradually.
Mobicip
Screen-time management and web filtering across phones, tablets, and computers, with per-child schedules and app limits. A good fit for households with multiple children who need different rules based on age and maturity.
Qustodio
Cross-platform content filtering, app blocking, screen time limits, and activity visibility, with a free tier available. Best for families needing consistent digital boundaries across multiple devices.
Gryphon
A mesh Wi-Fi router with built-in parental controls — pause the internet, block unsafe content, and set screen time schedules. Ideal for families wanting to manage internet access centrally rather than device by device.
​Gabb
A basic phone and messaging device for kids and teens — no internet, no social media, no app store. Best for younger children who primarily need to stay connected with family, without the distractions of a typical smartphone.
Canopy
AI-powered filtering that blocks pornography across devices and apps, with sextortion alerts and screen-time controls. Especially useful when pornography prevention is the primary concern, including filtering within supported websites.
Covenant Eyes
Screen Accountability that shares blurred screenshots of concerning content with a trusted ally chosen by the user. Best for encouraging transparency and accountability around pornography exposure.
Pinwheel
A phone built for kids with no default web browser or social media — parents approve every app from a curated library. A practical first-phone option for children not ready for a traditional smartphone.
Net Nanny
A long-standing parental-control app with web filtering, screen-time limits, and app blocking across phones, tablets, and computers. Particularly useful for parents wanting to filter web content while allowing age-appropriate internet exploration.
FAMILY PLANNING TOOL
Family Planning Tool
AAP Family Media Plan
A free, customizable tool from the American Academy of Pediatrics to set an individualized, age-based media-use agreement for your family.
RESEARCH
Want the research behind all of this?
Download our full research summary with citations — the data and sources behind everything on this site.