Category: TechtalkRadio

In this week’s Talking Tech segment, we explored a growing concern that many parents may not even realize exists — the hidden dangers lurking in the chat features of popular online games.

To help shed light on this issue, we spoke with Tom Arnold, a former law enforcement officer and cyber education instructor, who recently authored a new book titled Digital Detective. Aimed at kids ages 9 and up, the book follows two young sleuths as they learn how to navigate the digital world safely. But this isn’t just a fictional adventure — it’s a much-needed conversation starter for families about online predators, scams, and the often-overlooked loopholes in today’s tech.

“Giving a child a smartphone or tablet while we’re distracted is like letting them play alone at a park with strangers,” Tom warns. “We wouldn’t do that in the real world — so why do we do it online?”

Arnold wrote Digital Detective after years of seeing just how vulnerable kids can be online, especially through in-game messaging systems. These systems are often lightly moderated — if at all — and can serve as entry points for individuals with malicious intent. While parental controls and device monitoring can go a long way, they’re not foolproof. According to Tom, the first line of defense is open and ongoing conversation.

During the segment, I shared a recent personal experience that reinforces this point. While testing out a seemingly innocent mobile game, I received an unsolicited message urging me to “continue the conversation” on a different social media platform — a classic tactic used by online predators to isolate and exploit potential victims. If it can happen to an adult, it can certainly happen to a child.

Tom’s advice? Make digital safety a part of regular parenting conversations. Teach children to recognize red flags, understand the risks, and feel safe coming to you if something doesn’t seem right. Digital Detective is a great tool to start that journey.

You can find the book now on Amazon and AppleBooks, and the full interview with Tom Arnold is available on our main website TechtalkRadio.com.

Top Tips for Parents

• Monitor the games your kids are playing — especially those with chat features.
• Talk early and often about online safety.
• Encourage kids to report suspicious behavior or messages.
• Use parental control tools — but don’t rely on them alone.
• Remind kids: never share personal info or photos with strangers online.

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For this Week’s TechtalkRadio Show, Host Shawn DeWeerd and Andy Taylor kick off the show by recapping the highlights from Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. They discuss the unveiling of a new iOS with updates across iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS when available. Apple briefly touched on AI, emphasizing on-device processing for enhanced privacy. Shawn notes the integration of ChatGPT in several apps and points out Apple’s surprising openness in offering APIs for developers to tap into AI functionality. A major design update—dubbed “liquid glass”—was also revealed.

The hosts explore the new UI changes, including rounded buttons, a persistent bottom search bar, and new notification groupings. The camera app also gets a refresh with a simplified interface and more transparent menu backgrounds, focusing on usability rather than hardware upgrades.

They then shift to smart home tech, discussing Wyze’s new in-store partnership with Costco  and two new camera products. First, a floodlight camera system with three lights and a camera priced under $100. Second, the Wyze Bulb Cam—a 2K camera built into a light bulb that screws into standard fixtures and can pair with accessory bulbs for synchronized lighting. Shawn shares his experience with Wyze’s Cam Plus service, which offers unlimited cloud recording for $99/year.

Cybersecurity expert and author Tom Arnold joins the show to discuss his book The Digital Detective: First Intervention. Drawing from his background as a police officer and fraud investigator, Tom explores the evolution of cybercrime and emphasizes the importance of educating parents on digital dangers. His motivation to write stemmed from real-life incidents—including his grandson’s exposure to a dangerous situation in an online game and a parent’s admission that talking about cybersecurity is harder than talking about sex. His book series aims to teach digital safety through engaging stories featuring teen protagonists, with the next installment tackling sextortion and human trafficking.

Tom and Andy highlight the risks of unsupervised online interactions, comparing giving a child a tablet to leaving them alone at a playground. They stress the importance of knowing who your kids are talking to online—even if it’s someone they “know.” The discussion underscores that parental controls aren’t foolproof and that open, ongoing communication is key. Tom and Andy also warn about fringe groups using games for recruitment and the use of AI to generate fake images for sextortion. Andy reminds listeners that Tom’s book is available on Amazon and through other booksellers including The Apple Bookstore.

Also on the show, music journalist and author Selena Fragassi joins Andy to talk about her new book, Alanis: 30 Years of Jagged Little Pill from Quarto Publishing. The book dives into Alanis Morissette’s music and career, as well as the challenges of navigating the music industry in the ’80s and ’90s. Andy reflects on how passionate storytelling has become more accessible with Technology for other authors through self-publishing and anybody with a passion can realistically put together a book. 

Rounding out the show, Andy and Shawn chat about upcoming media releases, including the new Postal Video Game documentary, a Happy Gilmore sequel on Netflix, and a rumored Firefly reboot on Disney+. They wrap up with Father’s Day wishes, birthday shoutouts for Shawn, and his upcoming camping plans.

Tune in for all this and more on TechtalkRadio!

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