5 Habits of the Tech-Ready Family: Raising Wise Kids in a Wild Digital World

With just five simple habits, you can shape an environment where your kids grow confident, resilient, and ready to face the challenges, dangers, and opportunities of an ever-changing online world.

Childhood today looks very different than it used to. Smartphones, AI, and social media shape how kids play, learn, and connect. But behind the screens lurks a digital beast engineered to capture their attention and feed on their minds and hearts. Platforms pull children into endless dopamine loops, exploiting their curiosity and unique vulnerabilities. Without guidance, kids can't break free on their own.

In 5 Habits of the Tech-Ready Family, author Chris McKenna--founder of the leading ministry in digital safety, Protect Young Eyes--provides hope and help for parents who want to foster connection, build resilience, and prevent harm as they help their children grow into wise navigators of a wild digital world.

Supported by science, built on deep experience and biblical truth, and proven by thousands of success stories, the principles and strategies outlined in this book will help you to:

• Understand the key developmental stages of your child's brain and how addictive technologies are designed to exploit them
• Build a five-habit framework that will move your parenting from scared and overwhelmed to prepared and confident
• Talk to your kids about difficult topics like pornography, sextortion, and AI companions in an age-appropriate way with practical, step-by-step guidance
• Implement a five-layered pyramid of protection to prevent harm and create a safer digital environment in your home

The digital world is a minefield--but it can be navigated wisely and well by parents and kids alike. This book shows you how.

Chris McKenna is the founder of Protect Young Eyes (PYE), which helps families, schools, and churches create safer digital spaces through learning and community. Chris has authored resources for families and churches on digital safety and pornography. His 2019 US Senate testimony catalyzed new online child protection laws and earned PYE the Dignity Defense Alert Award from the National Center on Sexual Exploitation and the Child Safety Award from The Phase Alliance. Chris is a technical advisor to AngelQ AI and works closely with digital safety advocates and legislators to craft policies that rein in abusive technologies. As a representative of the Human Change Movement, Chris spoke at the 2024 and 2025 World Economic Forum. Under his guidance, the PYE team conducts presentations worldwide to parents, professionals, and schools, and gained recognition by being featured in the Childhood 2.0 movie. Chris is married to Andrea and is a father to four.