Parenting in an Online World 101 - Parents Evening

By Sara Quelch | Posted: Sunday August 10, 2025
We all want our school and community to be a safe place for our tamariki. But in a rapidly changing digital world, the risks our children face online are growing—more frequently, and more seriously.

Kia ora, e te whānau

That’s why we’ve invited filmmaker, author, and speaker Rob Cope, producer of the powerful documentary Our Kids Online, to deliver a humorous, eye-opening evening talk for our parent community.


His talk will cover:

  • Cyberbullying - How bullies can reach our kids 24/7

  • Social media - How social media is affecting the mental health in 3 out of 5 children. FOMO, depression, anxiety

  • Gaming and the developing brain – An oversupply of dopamine leading to dopamine deficiency, synaptic pruning, and the underdevelopment of social skills and empathy

  • Naked Selfies - The pressure to send nudes from intermediate up through high school

  • Online predators - The methods they use, how to spot them

  • Online porn vs healthy sexuality - How consuming online pornography as a child or teen can create a sexual template where violence, aggression, and dominance are seen as normal and consent can become very blurry.

  • AI - Growing concerns around Companion bots, Deepfakes, Voice Cloning, Algorithmic Radicalisation 

Solutions

  • Filters - Which filters are best and how to install them

  • Smartphones - How to lock down a smartphone to make it a safe phone

  • Boundaries - How to put good boundaries in place around device use

  • 3 golden rules - The 3 golden rules that will keep your kids safe

  • Talking to your kids - How to have difficult conversations with your kids

  • Challenging our own phone and device usage - Reconnecting as a family.


Here is a promotional video for you to watch   Our Kids Online Parent Evening.

The talk will be held at OBHS auditorium on 4th November from 7pm. Please note this talk is for adults only and is not suitable for children or teens to attend.

We request that at least one representative from each family attend, and hope you are able to prioritise this within your busy lives. This topic is too big for us not to pay attention. 

"We have now reached the point where it is irresponsible of us as parents, teachers, health professionals, and policymakers to continue to put these devices, which are designed to elicit addictive-like qualities, in our kids’ hands and then expect them to be accountable for their own wellbeing."  Dr Samantha Marsh - University of Auckland Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, July 2023

Included in your ticket is a one-year complimentary subscription to Parenting in an Online World 101 valued at $99. Created by Rob and Zareen at Our Kids Online, this practical, no-nonsense course is designed specifically for kiwi families and is already being used in thousands of homes across the country.

Please note: simply buying a ticket does not give you access to the course—you must attend on the night to receive it. So don’t miss out!

You can check out the course here: Parenting in an Online World 101

Tickets available here 

"We need to tackle this as a community so that all of our kids are safe. When I protected my kids online, I also protected yours, so please, please protect your kids online so that you are also protecting mine" Rob Cope