WHO WE ARE
About the Be In Touch team
WHERE WE CAME FROM
How We Started
As a mother of two, Kate experienced first–hand the need to be hands on in educating, connecting and protecting her family as they gained more and more access to the digital world. After listening to some very scary talks on the subject, she set out to find what the next practical steps should be, bringing all these tips and resources together for other like-minded parents.
Along the way she met Josh, a father and an educator with a passion for digital wellness born out of a need to repair his own poor relationship with digital media. Together they founded Be in Touch, so that no other parent need feel alone on this online parenting journey!
OUR PATH
Where We’re Going
We love technology AND our children but sometimes we wish they didn’t go quite so well together! Like you, we’re trying to figure out how to balance our children’s tech world with their health, safety and sanity – and ours!
Online parenting can feel overwhelming, so we’re sharing as we go – simple, practical solutions to help you on this journey.
We get parents, teachers and children thinking and talking about the online challenges they have, and how they can improve their daily digital habits. We run inspiring, life-changing face-to-face or online learning experiences for children, parents and teachers. Our easy and practical solutions, tips, resources and products will make sure you and your children are educated, connected and protected.
Our mission is all about “keeping kids safer and saner online”!
WHO WE ARE
MOTHER | THINKER | VISIONARY | FOUNDER
Kate
From an interest in marine biology which broadened to “swimming with sharks” in a corporate environment as an environmental lawyer, Kate has always got involved in ventures that channel her passion for motivating others and making a difference. She has a husband who views Whatsapp as the pinnacle of social media, and so, as an almost 50-year-old mum of two tweens, keenly felt the pressure to better understand the digital world and how to manage its impact on her kids.
The concept of Be In Touch was born, out of the realisation that the intel she was gathering was needed by other like-minded parents, also doing their best to try and keep afloat in the modern age of parenting.
FATHER | EDUCATOR | LUMINARY |
FOUNDER
Josh
Having completed a degree in psychology, philosophy, and coaching, Josh spent his twenties travelling the world working as a model, actor and later a stuntman.
He has seen first-hand the illusion of the ‘entertainment engine’ and decided to pursue purpose over profit. His broad scope of experience from working in organisational development to holding workshops for teens and tweens, means he always begins with the end in mind, and brings humour and realism to every interaction with adults and children.
5 STAR REVIEWS
What our customer say about us
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Quick, informative and professional webinars! A must for all parents. 
Nisché Strong
April 6, 2022 - An amazing organization made up of an amazing team! Extremely proud to be associated with BIT!
Russell Pengelly
December 14, 2020 - Very nice webinar last night about creating a safer digital environment for our children online. Annabel Rautenbach
March 11, 2022 -
I just attended a Cyber bullying webinar Josh did - just brilliant
Lindy Halgreen
January 26, 2022 - Josh and his team bring significant experience, best practice and the latest tech to the digital wellness space. Our learnings through Be In Touch really emphasize the dire need for all parents to step into a space or knowing how to manage your child’s online journey always supporting healthy usage. I highly recommend working with Josh Misha Teasdale
December 14, 2020 - Josh was amazing with our children, talking about tricky issues with poise. His warm personality let children have an immediate repore with him. This helped us get realistic results for the survey - a must for all schools who care about the digital wellbeing of their children. We are looking forward to further partnering with Be in Touch to help us guide our parents whom we hope will in turn help provide a safer online environment for their children. Charmaine Palm
February 2, 2022 - Be In Touch is truly making a difference. I have worked with the team on some projects and have the greatest appreciation for the people they are and the work they do. Speaking from an Education Technology side, the value they add to the increased use of technology by learners is invaluable. Their message is clear - if you don't know what is going on in your child's online life, you don't know what is going on in your child's life. Riaan W Vanderbergh
February 4, 2022 - First time to attend Be in Touch webinar on digital parenting, as a father of an 8- and 5-years old boys I was not really aware of how dangerously a digital world without control can affect my kids. I have now understood that I need to communicate with them and have agreement with gaming, as to how long and what games are safer for them. screen time is very important. I will strongly recommend any parent to follow this page for their children digital well-being. Sam Junior Mbuyi
March 10, 2022 - Real, practical guidance that can save us a lot of damage and drama. A stitch in time n all. Thanks Josh! Linda Wilson
December 14, 2020 - As parents, most of us need help to monitor our kids' online activities and behaviour. Be in Touch does an amazing job, offering valuable, easy-to-access support to empower parents. Carla Cruvinel Pontes
February 2, 2022
CONSENT: An important conversation we need to be having with all of our teens, especially as consent is often presumed in their hypersexualized online world.
Planned Parenthood in the US uses a concept called “Consent FRIES” to help explain informed consent as:
🍟Freely Given – consenting is a choice you make without pressure, manipulation, or under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
🍟Reversible – anyone can change their mind about what they feel like doing, anytime. Even if you’ve done it before, and even if you’re already both naked in bed.
🍟Informed – You can only consent to something if you have the full story. For example, if someone says they’ll use a condom and then they don’t, there isn’t full consent.
🍟Enthusiastic – when it comes to sex, you should only do stuff you want to do, not things that you feel you’re expected to do.
🍟Specific – Saying yes to one thing (like going to the bedroom at a party to make out) doesn’t mean you’ve said yes to others (like having sex).
Our teens need to remember that “NO” is a complete sentence. It has a full stop and there is no room for negotiation. They should feel empowered to leave any situation that they don’t feel comfortable with, and if they can’t remove themselves, teach them to let the other person know that if they continue with what they are doing it is “rape” – a term that can often bring the reality of a situation to the offender's attention and stop further escalation.
Credit: The White Hatter
#beintouch #bethesafetynet #bethere #fantasyvsreality
PODCASTS, is your tween or teen keen on them?
Whilst helping to guide the mum of a 14-year-old girl who was accessing sexually explicit content on Spotify podcasts, and at the same time hearing of a 13-year boy who developed a serious addiction after listening to podcasts about different substances that can be used to get high - we reached out to our friend Chris @protectyoungeyes , because he loves unravelling tech puzzles.
The bad news is that the filters and controls on Spotify and other music / podcast apps are unfortunately basic, and highly dependant on content being marked as “E” or Explicit.
The good news is that @barktechnologies can monitor your child’s recently played songs and podcasts and analyse the words for potential issues. Not a filter but an alert - so you can TALK to them.
Been meaning to give that free 7 day trial of Bark a go? Click the link in the bio and prepare to have your parenting taken to a new level
#beintouch #beintheknow #beprepared #bethesafetynet
Grab your t(w)een's attention away from the phone, tablet, TV, gaming console for a minute and ask them:
🤷♀️What does your wheel of like look like?
🤷Where can other life stuff fit around screen time?
Then ask yourself 😉
👉Fact: fast cars can't race on flat wheels!
#besavvy #beincontrol #beware #beintouch
#beafireman #betheparent #bethere #beintouch
We like to think of parental controls as more like LENSES - filtering digital content but also giving parents insights into their children's online lives and alerting them to the challenges, dilemmas and risks they need to help their kids get through.
An absolutely essential part of the modern parent's toolkit! 😎
👉Check out the options we've tried and tested in our own families, and can highly recommend!
Link in bio
#parentalcontrols #modernparenting #onlineparenting #beconnected #beaware #bothere #beintouch
Watch out, it's wild out there! 😆
#unplug #lookup #bepresent #beintouch
From the work we do with Grade 4 to 11 learners, 40% say they have been cyber bullied by Grade 9. Our kids need someone to talk to about what's going on online, but it's not always easy to do that! Bark's alerts give parents insights into when they need to start a chat.
Get your 7 day free trial and 10% off for life right here – link in bio.
#beintouch #beconnected
If we had to choose just one to start - it would be this one! 😚
#beintouch #betheparent #beasafetynet #childprotectionweek
To nude or not to nude? 🤔
The t(w)eens we work with tell us that around 24% have already been asked for nudes by Grade 7, jumping up to around 37% by Grade 9.
It's a chat we absolutely need to have with our kids, starting early:
👀Where do nudes go?
👀Do they ever disappear?
👀How, when and where could they come back to haunt you?
👀Why would you want to / not want to send one?
👀How can/will you respond when you get the request?
#beready #beintouch
Prince Harry @sussexroyal joined the launch of the Child Online Safety Toolkit by the @5rightsfoundation and @gptoendviolence on 16 May, to chat about his fears for his own kids and how we can make the online world safer & kinder for children.
Speaking for parents around the world he said, “The way we experience technology like social media isn't working and needs to be fixed... It's easy to say the business model of the internet and social media is broken, but it's not. The internet business model is doing exactly what it's meant to do. Pull us in, keep us scrolling, get us angry, anxious or make us numb to the world around us. That's bad enough for adults when it's meant for adults, but even worse it's meant to do the same to our kids."
#bethesafetynet #betheparent #bethere #beintouch
Worried about your kid having secret social media accounts on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat? 👀
Bark can help by alerting you when they sign up for a new account! You'll also get conversation tips, to help keep you connected with your kids on this digital learning curve!
Awesome, right? Tap the link in our bio to get a FREE 7-day trial and 10% off for life 🙌
🧐Downloaded the NewProfilePic app to create your avatar?
Cyber security experts are warning against using this Russian app due to the data it acquires. By agreeing to download the app, users are willing to share their location, details about the device they are using as well as other photographs on their social media feeds.
#beintheknow #betechsavvy #beintouch
WHAT a deal for a few lucky families 😁
@gryphonsocial is offering an amazing R400 discount to Be in Touch parents - only 59 routers available so grab yours quick today!
Use the code bit400 on the link in our bio to get your discount.
The Gryphon router and app can manage internet access across ALL devices (smart TV's, gaming consoles, tablets and phones), allowing parents to -
• Set bedtimes and homework times
• Limit social media and online games
• Set content filtering with crowd ranking
• View browsing history
• Enforce safe search on YouTube
• Block / unblock websites
• Suspend internet access.
#saferandsanerkids #beassured #becalm #beintouch
Whilst the teachers all breathed a sigh of relief!🤣
Credit: @jerrykcartoons
#modernteaching #modernparenting #beintouch
We're all learning as we go!
#betheparent #bethere #beintouch
We were honoured to be asked to attend the stakeholder meeting organised by the Children’s Rights Unit at the Centre for Human Rights in collaboration with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, Nairobi, Kenya office.
A great conversation was sparked around the online trends, challenges and dilemmas that we've been gathering and identifying in our work with grade 4 to 11 learners.
These align strongly with the report on Children’s Right to Privacy in the Digital Sphere in the African Region, launched at the event, which highlights these key needs:
- Defined regulations that ensure the protection of children in the context of social media use.
- Addressing violations of children’s rights within the digital space, such as cyber bullying, online sexual abuse and exploitation, and recruitment into harmful groups.
- Protection of children’s privacy, including protection of children’s data, created content, as well as providing tools and guidance to parents, caregivers and other duty bearers on appropriate supervision of children’s use of social media.
#SaveTheChildren #bethesafetynet #bethechange
Cool dads are in touch with their kids - online and offline!
#onlineparenting #onlineoffline #beintouch
Online parenting is a hugely important part of being a modern parent, and here at Be in Touch we’re all about finding practical ways to make this simpler, clearer and easier for both parents and kids. We reckon that parental controls are an essential part of today’s parenting toolkit.
Smart devices need smart solutions, and the Gryphon router is one of our tried, tested and highly recommended parental control options. By joining this webinar with @gryphonsocial you’ll get great insights into what Gryphon can do to help you protect your family as they go online.
Register free, link in bio or beintouch.org za/webinars
The Gryphon router can manage internet access across ALL devices, smart TV's, gaming consoles, tablets and phones within the Gryphon Connect App, allowing you to -
• Set bedtimes and homework times
• Limit social media and online games
• Content filtering with crowd ranking
• View browsing history
• Enforce safe search on YouTube
• Block / unblock websites anywhere
• Suspend internet access.
BE IN TOUCH
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