Overprotected Offline, Underprotected Online: Veronica Sommers Tells Parents What They Need to Know

In this powerful episode of the Connecticut Book Festivals Podcast, host Jed Doherty welcomes Veronica Sommer, author of Sacred Stewardship: Restoring Moral Clarity in the Digital Age. Drawing on over two decades in cybersecurity recruiting and her experience raising two smartphone-era teens, Veronica offers a heartfelt, eye-opening look at what today’s kids are really facing online. Jed and Veronica begin by talking about that familiar parenting dilemma: giving kids phones “for safety” and connection, without fully understanding that those same devices give the entire world access to our children. Veronica references ideas from Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation, especially how we often overprotect kids in the real world and underprotect them online. From there, the conversation gets very real. Veronica explains how a hyper-sexualized culture, amplified by algorithms on apps like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and Facebook, is shaping kids’ values, language, and relationships—often without parents realizing it. They discuss sextortion, pornography reaching children under 10, and the heartbreaking link between these harms and rising rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide. But the episode is not just warnings; it’s full of practical hope. Veronica shares concrete ideas for parents: ongoing, judgment-free conversations, looking together at kids’ “For You” pages, creating shared agreements about phone and social media use, and presenting a united front among caregivers. Finally, Veronica talks about the deeper foundation behind Sacred Stewardship: a return to faith, prayer, and spiritual protection as anchors for families navigating the digital storm. It’s an honest, compassionate conversation that will leave parents better informed—and less alone.