15 SET 2026 · Cathy Pedrayes, TikTok’s “Mom Friend” and author of The Mom Friend Guide to Everyday Safety and Security, returns to The Running Wine Mom with practical back-to-school safety tips every parent can use without adding more fear to the school-year chaos.Host Samantha Cieslinski and Cathy talk about safer first-day photos, personalized backpacks, school data privacy, cyberattacks, phishing attempts, group chats, Snapchat, location sharing, and the one habit Cathy says matters most: keeping honest conversations open with your kids.In this episode, you’ll learn:
- What not to reveal in first-day-of-school photos, including names, schools, birthdays, and other identifying details.
- How to think about personalized backpacks and lunchboxes based on your child’s age, routine, and level of supervision.
- What parents should know about school apps, portals, school-issued devices, passwords, and two-factor authentication.
- How school cyberattacks can create follow-up phishing risks for families, and why unexpected school texts and links deserve a second look.
- Why every additional app can create new privacy, security, and social risks for kids.
- How a “no trouble for telling the truth and asking for help” approach can keep kids talking when something goes wrong online.
Episode chapters
- 00:00 , Welcome back, Cathy Pedrayes
- 00:59 , First-day-of-school photos: what not to post online
- 03:47 , Are personalized backpacks with kids’ names safe?
- 05:34 , School data privacy: apps, portals, and school-issued devices
- 07:21 , School cyberattacks and ransomware: what parents should do
- 11:55 , School group chats, Snapchat, and location sharing
- 16:25 , Cathy’s most important back-to-school safety takeaway
- 19:07 , Where to find Cathy
Links and resources
- Cathy Pedrayes: Follow @cathypedrayes on TikTok and Instagram.
- https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Mom-Friend-Guide-to-Everyday-Safety-and-Security/Cathy-Pedrayes/9781982185671
- https://www.cisa.gov/topics/cybersecurity-best-practices/K12cybersecurity/foundations
- https://therunningwinemom.transistor.fm/75
- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-running-wine-mom/id1671441188
- Samantha Cieslinski: Follow @therunningwinemom_ on Instagram.
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