Internet Safety with Donna Rice Hughes
Internet Safety with Donna Rice Hughes is a podcast designed to educate, equip and empower parents, caregivers and educators with the knowledge and resources needed to protect children in the ever-evolving digital world. Each episode is packed with valuable insights and practical tips to help you identify and prevent the many risks that kids face through the internet, social media and online gaming. Donna Rice Hughes has 30 years of leadership as a social entrepreneur, internationally known internet safety expert, author, speaker, media commentator and Emmy Award-winning producer. She is President and CEO of Enough Is Enough®, a non-partisan, non-profit organization that has led the fight to make the internet safer for children and families since 1994. Under Donna’s leadership, EIE has led advocacy efforts to pass groundbreaking bi-partisan federal laws, developed the Internet Safety 101® Program and Emmy Winning PBS series, launched the national Safe WiFi℠ Campaign resulting in McDonalds and Starbucks filtering illegal content on their public WiFi, and led the Children’s Internet Safety Presidential Pledge, Governor’s Pledge and State Attorney General Pledge. Donna has been a featured expert in most major new outlets and has given over 4,000 interviews. She testified multiple times before Congress and served on the Commission on Child Online Protection (COPA). She served as executive producer of the Emmy-award winning Internet Safety 101® PBS TV series (2013), an Emmy nomination as the program’s host, and received The Women in Technology Award for Social Impact, and The Professional Women in Advocacy Excellence in Advocacy Award for ”Veteran Practitioner”.
Episodes
In this powerful episode, Donna is joined by sex trafficking survivor-turned-advocate Tanya Gould for a deeply personal and eye-opening conversation. From being trafficked as a young woman to becoming a national leader in anti-exploitation efforts, Tanya shares how grooming, trauma, and manipulation trap victims—and what finally set her free. The episode also breaks down major legal victories holding Big Tech accountable for harmin...
In this episode of 'Internet Safety with Donna Rice Hughes,' Donna is joined by Mary Graw Leary, a professor of law at the Catholic University Columbus School of Law, and Haley McNamara, Executive Director and Chief Strategy Officer at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. They delve into the critical issues surrounding child online exploitation, the role of government and big tech regulation, and the implications of Section ...
In this episode, host Donna Rice Hughes talks with internet safety expert Rick Lane and retired ICAC commander John Pizzuro about how AI, chatbots, and online gangs are putting kids in danger. They explain how AI “digital companions” can mirror a child’s emotions, build unhealthy attachments, and even coach vulnerable teens toward self-harm, while online gangs like “764” use AI, deepfakes, and social media to groom and extort child...
Donna and her guest, neurosurgeon, Dr. Donald L. Hilton, Jr. , discuss the impact of pornography and screen addiction on brain development, particularly focusing on how early exposure can create lasting neural pathways and influence sexual attitudes and behavior. They explore the dangers of online pornography for children, including its effects on risky sexual behaviors and mental health, while discussing scientific studies, the r...
In this episode of "Internet Safety with Donna Rice Hughes", Donna is joined by Ava Smithing, Advocacy Director at The Young People's Alliance to examine how social media algorithms expose kids and teens to harmful content. Ava reveals how algorithms on Pinterest and Instagram fueled her social media feeds—and ultimately her struggle with a devastating eating disorder.
She and Donna discuss AI chat bots and the tragic suicide of a ...
In this episode of ‘Internet Safety with Donna Rice Hughes’, Donna is joined by the director of Grossman on Truth, Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, U.S. Army (Ret.), to discuss the eye-opening effects of digital media on youth. The conversation highlights how video games, social media, and other digital activities are contributing to sleep deprivation, mental illness, and increased rates of suicide. Dave shares insights from his extensive ...
In this episode of "Internet Safety with Donna Rice Hughes"-- In this episode of Internet Safety with Donna Rice Hughes, Joel Thayer, President of the Digital Progress Institute joins Donna to discuss recent legislative efforts to protect children online, enforcement of anti-pornography laws and the role of tech companies in safeguarding minors. Key topics include the App Store Accountability Act (passed in Texas on 5/28/25 after ...
In this episode, Donna Rice Hughes discusses concerns parents face when deciding the right time and method to introduce smartphones to their children. She is joined by Bill Brady, CEO of Troomi, a company that creates kid-safe phones promoting digital wellness.
Bill shares his passion for helping families navigate technology safely, stemming from an early insight into the dehumanizing effects of uncontrolled tech use. The conver...
In this episode of 'Internet Safety with Donna Rice Hughes,' Donna is joined by special guest Kristen Jenson, founder of Defend Young Minds and bestselling author of 'Good Pictures Bad Pictures.' Kristen and Donna share valuable insights on how to protect children from online pornography and other harmful digital content. The discussion covers the importance of educating children about Internet safety, teaching them to recognize an...
In this episode of Internet Safety with Donna Rice Hughes, Donna welcomes Tatiana Kotlyarenko, an international expert on violence against women, girls, and human trafficking to discuss the crisis of missing and potentially trafficked children at the southern U.S. border. Tatiana highlights the vulnerabilities these children face, the roles of smugglers and traffickers, and the urgent need for effective systems to protect them. Don...
In this episode, Donna Rice Hughes discusses the issue of male victims of sex trafficking with her guest, Jerome Elam, president and CEO of the Trafficking in America Task Force. Jerome shares his hispersonal story as a survivor of child abuse, sex trafficking, and child pornography. The episode touches on several issues, including the significant role the internet plays in trafficking, the tactics traffickers use to maintain contr...
In this episode, Donna speaks with Todd Minor, the father of Matthew Minor, a 12-year-old who tragically lost his life to the TikTok Choking Challenge. Dive into the critical conversation about the hidden dangers of social media, the importance of parental involvement and the advocacy efforts to protect children online.
In this episode of Internet Safety with Donna Rice Hughes, Donna is joined by Fr. Bill George to discuss the alarming issues of child sexual abuse and exploitation both online and offline. Fr. George, senior advisor to the president of the Gregorian University Foundation, shares his extensive experience working with children, parents, and institutions to protect children in the digital world. They delve into topics like the dangers...
In today's episode of "Internet Safety with Donna Rice Hughes," Donna is joined by Harrison Haynes who shares his personal story of being groomed while playing video games online and his journey toward healing and digital intentionalism. They discuss big tech’s inability to protect children online and stress what parents need to know to protect them from harm.
In this episode of Internet Safety with Donna Rice Hughes, Donna speaks with Special Agent Courtney Goode about the grim reality of online crimes against children. They discuss law enforcement's role in combating sexual predators, traffickers, pornographers, and sextortionists who target children, and how to report suspicious activity.
Their conversation underscores the need for parental involvement, early prevention, and offers p...
In this episode of Internet Safety with Donna Rice Hughes, Donna is joined by John Pizzuro, co-founder and CEO of Raven, and former commander of the New Jersey ICAC Task Force. They discuss the legislative challenges and the role of artificial intelligence in online child exploitation, Raven’s mission to bridge gaps between legislation and law enforcement, the complexities of end-to-end encryption, and the implications of AI in gen...
Donna is joined by Lina Nealon, Vice President and Director of Corporate Advocacy for the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. They discuss Big Tech’s role in facilitating sexual exploitation and break down NCOSE’s “Dirty Dozen” campaign which calls out platforms like Snapchat, Spotify and Roblox for their inadequate safety measures to protect kids and teens. They also examine key legislative efforts, highlighting bipartisan sup...
In this episode, Donna is joined by mental health expert Rens de Koning to discuss the issue of digital addiction and its impact on young minds, particularly in the context of online sexual exploitation. They explore the alarming statistics regarding children's access to pornography, the evolution of explicit content, and the role of social media in shaping mental health. Their discussion emphasizes the importance of open communica...
Donna is joined by Michael Reagan, the eldest son of former President Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman. The discussion centers around his personal experiences with childhood sexual abuse at the hands of a trusted family friend and the lasting impact it has had on him. He shares about ongoing fear and shame that accompanied the abuse due to blackmail with images. He emphasizes the importance of parents listening to their children and re...
Donna is joined by guest Gene McConnell, founder of Authentic Relationships International. They delve into the impact of early exposure to pornography on children and share personal stories. They highlight the connection between shame and broken relationships and stress the importance of open communication between parents and kids, in addition to using technology tools like filtering, monitoring, and time-limiting software to prote...
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