Parent Training
Parenting in the AI Age: Youth, Technology, Social Media, Safety, & Mental Health
Details
Shape the Sky’s Parent Training is designed for parents and led by licensed and nationally certified counselor—and founder of Shape the Sky—Ryan Klingensmith. Today’s landscape is no longer just about social media; it now includes rapidly evolving AI platforms that allow kids to create, modify, and share digital content in ways previous generations never imagined.
The goal of this presentation is to help parents understand how today’s technologies—social media, AI-generated images and videos, chatbots, and content creation tools—are shaping youth behavior and identity, and how to guide their children in building a responsible, authentic digital image.
In this training, we’ll identify the major categories of social networking and AI-driven platforms that parents need to be aware of, explain how youth are using them, and equip families with practical tools for safety, communication, and healthy tech habits.
Description
"Kids have the knowledge to use the technology, but sometimes lack the wisdom to use it. Adults have the wisdom to use the technology, but sometimes lack the knowledge to use it. My goal is to connect knowledge with wisdom.” -Founder Ryan Klingensmith
In this training, we’re connecting knowledge with wisdom. Parents already have the wisdom and life experience to model responsible behavior—but today’s digital world now includes fast-moving social media trends, AI-driven content, and emerging technologies that many adults simply haven’t been exposed to. We’ll give you the most current information about today’s digital and AI landscape, so you know what to look for, what to talk about, and how to ensure your children are using smartphones, social media, and AI platforms safely and responsibly.
Note: this training doesn’t fulfill NBCC Credit Hours.
Learning Goals
• Participants will be able to identify how children explore and share information about mental health through technology, social media, and AI-powered platforms—and how this shapes self-understanding and behavior.
• Participants will learn what resources are available when discussing mental health in a digital age, including credible online tools and emerging AI supports that can be used safely and appropriately.
• Participants will learn how to set clear expectations for smartphone and AI use, and understand when and how to monitor a child’s device to ensure healthy digital habits.
• Participants will understand how parenting youth has changed in an era of rapidly evolving social media, algorithm-driven content, and AI-generated images, videos, and chat interactions.
• Participants will understand current social media and AI trends, apps, and platforms, and how they can negatively impact youth mental health, attention, social development, and body image.
• Participants will learn how youth can be exposed to highly sexualized content—including AI-generated explicit material—even on apps commonly used by elementary-aged children.
• Participants will learn how to use Shape the Sky tools to create healthy, safe, and responsible behaviors around smartphones, social media, and AI technologies.
Learning Topics
• How parenting youth has changed in the AI era
• Why kids don’t talk to adults about tech and AI
• Understanding today’s youth digital culture
• How AI tools influence behavior and mental health
• Age restrictions vs. readiness for tech and apps
• AI-generated harmful content (deepfakes, deepnudes, etc.)
• Exposure to sexualized content on mainstream apps
• AI companions, anonymous apps, and emerging tech behaviors
• Using Shape the Sky tools for healthy tech habits
• Recognizing general youth mental health concerns online
• Digital dating dynamics & online relationship pressures
• How to start healthy conversations about tech use
• Practical prevention steps for digital safety
• When and how to use monitoring tools wisely
• Using a Technology Contract to set clear expectations
• Taking a social media pledge for responsible use
• Setting realistic smartphone and device expectations
• How to guide kids toward safe and trustworthy online resources
Learn More About Ryan & Shape The Sky
Shape the Sky’s Founder, Ryan Klingensmith, is a parent and licensed counselor who works directly with high school and college students. Through this work, he gains first-hand insight into how social media and emerging technologies impact youth and young adults’ mental health. His expertise and experience allow Shape the Sky to provide relevant, reliable, and up-to-date information for families and professionals.