The Switched On Parent is a podcast for parents navigating a digital world their children are growing up in. Host Laura Knight draws on two decades as a teacher and digital leader in schools, as well as her own experience as a parent. The show explores what shapes children online, what deserves attention, and how to respond when things go wrong. It offers thoughtful conversations, reliable information, and practical support without lectures or jargon, helping families make confident choices with more wisdom and less panic.
Episodes
Making, Not Scrolling: Raising Creative Kids in a Digital World
Are our children really wasting time on screens, or could something valuable be happening that we're completely missing? In this episode, I'm challenging the idea that creating is always good and scrolling is always bad. Because, as with most things in parenting and technology, it's a little more complicated than that!We'll explore how platforms like Minecraft and Roblox shape children's creativit
The First Phone: Is Your Child Really Ready?
When is the right time to give your child their first phone? It's a question that can lead to years of negotiation, a fair bit of nagging and, eventually, a decision that involves rather more than simply being able to call home.Suddenly we're talking group chats, unlimited data, location tracking and a whole digital world arriving in their pocket.In this episode, I'm looking beyond birthdays and a
The Social Media Ban: What It Can and Can't Fix
A social media ban for under-16s sounds like a welcome relief for parents. But will it actually make our children safer?In this episode, I'm looking at what Australia's experience can teach us, from teenagers finding surprisingly creative ways around age checks to the unintended consequences of pushing children into less visible corners of the internet.I'm asking whether we're focusing too much on
Your Child Is More Than Their Worst Online Moment
We spend so much time talking about preventing things from going wrong online, but eventually something probably will.Your child might get hurt, hurt someone else, or find themselves somewhere in the messy middle. And when our hearts sink, it’s incredibly easy to react before we’ve understood the whole story.In this episode, I’m exploring what happens next. We’ll look at listening before judging,
Group Chats: Friendship, Fallout and FOMO
Group chats can be brilliant places for friendship, jokes and belonging. But they can also make exclusion painfully visible. A message left unanswered, a child repeatedly removed from a group, a screenshot shared elsewhere or simply discovering there’s another chat you weren’t invited to can suddenly feel enormous when you’re young.In this episode, I’m looking at the evidence around group chats, c
Deepfakes: What Every Parent Needs to Know
Deepfakes have come a long way from paper fairies and hat pins.Today, a convincing fake can be created from an ordinary photo or a few seconds of someone’s voice, which means our children need more than a lesson in spotting dodgy hands and extra fingers. Those clues simply aren’t reliable anymore.In this episode, I’m looking at what deepfakes mean for children, from misinformation and voice scams
Parenting And The Uncomfortable Conversations We Can’t Avoid
Pornography is one of those parenting topics that can feel incredibly awkward to talk about, but staying silent doesn’t make it disappear.In this episode, I’m looking beyond the panic to explore what the evidence actually tells us about young people, pornography and the messages they may absorb from what they see online.We’ll talk about accidental exposure, consent, body image, healthy relationshi
When Your Child Sees Something Disturbing Online
In this episode, I’m talking about what to do when your child comes across sexual, violent, hateful or otherwise disturbing content online.The instinct can be to ask what they searched for or why they kept watching, but today’s digital world is shaped by recommendation systems, autoplay, group chats and peer pressure too.We’ll look at how to separate intention from influence, respond without rushi
The Digital Babysitter: When Screens Help and When Habits Creep In
In this episode, I’m talking about the digital babysitter, that moment when handing over a screen feels less like a parenting choice and more like an emergency service.Screens can genuinely help us through busy, exhausting or downright chaotic moments, and I want to take some of the shame out of that.But I’m also looking at what happens when helpful screen use quietly becomes the automatic answer.
Rules and Routines that Really Work
In this episode, I’m getting practical about digital routines, boundaries and what it really takes to make the rules in your home stick. We’ll talk about why parenting is not the same as negotiating with a friend, why consistency matters, and how giving children clear, age-appropriate reasons can reduce some of the conflict around devices, apps and screen time.I’ll also explore why fairness does n
Connection, Courage and Choosing Integrity Online
In this episode, I’m exploring what connection really means for children growing up online. We’ll look at why having hundreds of contacts, streaks, likes and messages does not necessarily mean feeling seen or supported, and why online friendships deserve to be taken just as seriously as the relationships happening face to face.I’ll also talk about helping children manage boundaries, disagreement a
Privacy, Secrecy and Trust Online
In this episode, I’m looking at the difference between privacy and secrecy online, and why I believe younger children need much more visibility and supervision than we sometimes realise. We’ll explore passwords, hidden accounts, boundaries and how digital independence should grow gradually as a child’s judgement develops.I’ll also talk about what secrecy might be telling us, why a hidden account i
Real, Fake and Everything In Between Raising Critical Thinkers Online
In this episode, I’m looking behind the curtain at the design choices that make apps, games and online platforms so difficult to put down. From infinite scroll and autoplay to streaks, notifications and social rewards, we’ll explore how children’s attention is deliberately captured and why so many supposedly free digital experiences come with another kind of cost.I’ll also explain surveillance cap
Nothing Online Is Really Free - Understanding the Digital World
In this episode, I’m looking at what really happens behind the screen when an app, game or platform appears to be free. We’ll explore the attention economy, persuasive design and the ways digital spaces are deliberately built to keep us clicking, scrolling and coming back for more.I’ll also explain why children’s attention and data have real commercial value, what surveillance capitalism actually
It’s Not Just About Screen Time
Screen time is one of those topics that can turn an ordinary family evening into a full-blown negotiation.In this first episode, I’m looking beyond the number of minutes children spend on devices and asking a more useful question: what are they actually doing with that time?We’ll explore the idea of a digital media diet, the risks parents really need to understand, and how online experiences can a
TRAILER
None of us grew up in the digital world our children are navigating today. I’m Laura Knight, and after two decades working as a teacher and digital leader in schools, I’m now asking many of the same questions as a parent around my own kitchen table.The Switched On Parent is here to help you understand what is shaping children online, decide what genuinely deserves your attention and respond when t
