I could start by listing all my credentials, but I put them here instead because I’d rather start with this:
A personal note from me to you.
Hi, I’m Lisa.
For eight years, I've been standing beside parents and educators navigating what might be the hardest part of raising kids today: the internet.
I've worked with families across the country, from Parent Nights packed with worried moms and dads to classrooms full of kids who think they know everything about staying safe online (spoiler: they don't).
Here's what I know: This generation of kids is facing challenges we never had to handle growing up.
Anxiety.
Depression.
Cyberbullying.
Body image issues fueled by endless scrolling.
Predators who know exactly how to manipulate a lonely teen.
Scams that empty bank accounts before parents even know what happened.
Make it stand out
And here's the other thing I know: You didn't sign up to become a digital detective, tech expert, or online bodyguard.
But that's exactly what parenting (and being an educator) requires now.
I founded the Center for Online Safety after my own family went through a digital crisis. I've since worked with thousands of parents and schools nationwide, delivering my Tech Tips for Parents: Raising Cyber-Savvy Kids talk and K-12 student curriculum to kids.
I've seen the worst of what can happen online. I've also seen families recover, reconnect, and parents build healthier relationships with their kids than they ever thought possible.
You're here because you want to protect kids and teach them to use technology responsibly, not get used by it.
I'm here to help you do exactly that.
Whether you're a parent trying to set boundaries without constant battles or a principal looking to create a safer digital culture in your school, you don't have to figure this out alone.
Let's do this together.
—Lisa
Whether you’re a parent, school principal, administrator, part of a community project, or a designer in the tech space, keeping kids safe is a responsibility we all share and I’d love to be on that journey with you.
Lisa
About Our Credentials
The Center for Online Safety is a national advocate for the online health and safety of children and teens. We spread awareness on using technology intentionally and responsibly.
Our podcast, Unplug and Plug In, applies positive parenting concepts to tech usage and interviews professionals from across the spectrum: from thought leaders and experts to school administrators and tech developers.
Our Parent Night trainings have helped thousands of families across America understand how to stay connected to kids as they develop their digital worlds.
In addition to running the Center for Online Safety, Lisa Honold was co-chair of the Online Harms Prevention work group at the leading watchdog group against social media harms, Fairplay for three years and she’s designed and led NextGen Connect, a youth leadership and development program at Fairplay, for two years.
On a personal note, Lisa is a mother who deeply and personally understands the pain and harm that the internet and gaming use can have on children.
Lisa is trained in several types of positive parenting philosophies and methods and believes that family is the foundation of a healthy childhood. She lives near Seattle, WA, with her husband and three tech-loving young adults.
“If you are looking for sanity when it comes to handling your kids’ online life, Lisa is the gal for you! Her totally practical advice and suggestions will take your anxiety about their online safety from a 10 to a 4.
It’s never going to go away entirely and with Lisa’s support you can take direct action that will make your kids safer and you saner.”
Amy Lang, Birds + Bees + Kids
About Our Vision, Mission & Values
We believe children and teens deserve to be safe online. Free from the pressure to be perfect. Free from advertisers collecting information about them. Protected from child predators and other dangers.
➔ Our Vision
Our vision is that all children are allowed to be kids for longer, without the pressure of social media.
Our vision is for parents to understand how they can help kids navigate complicated situations online and for schools and community groups to be proactive and responsible about social media, gaming, ed-tech and AI.
And finally, our vision is that tech companies responsibly develop AI, games, apps, and social media platforms, putting the needs of child mental health and safety first.
➔ Our Mission
We believe that children deserve to be safe online. We support this mission by teaching adults how to guide children toward healthy and intentional relationships with technology, while strengthening offline relationships with family and friends.
The Center for Online Safety is the place for adults who want to give children access to the best parts of the internet while also protecting them from predators, bullying, exploitation and themselves. We are fierce advocates for adults who are not IT experts, and who are overwhelmed by the exploitative nature of many online platforms that target tween and teenagers as users.
We work with aligned institutions to create legislation that saves lives, educate parents on protecting kids and advocate for online safety design from technology companies. Safety for kids should be the default and we will not stop until we have guard rails in place so kids don’t lose their way or get hurt.
We are thought-leaders in online safety and are pioneering what it means to raise a child who has a strong internal compass to guide their online actions.
What this looks like is educating parents, caregivers, teachers, school administrators, and community groups, to help kids identify, address and responsibly manage their online use.
About Working Together
There are a number of ways that we can work together: in-person or virtually. We have programming for teachers, parents, corporate ERGs and K-12 students.
“Lisa always talks about "being the guard rails" for kids on the internet. I'm proud to say I'm learning how to be the guard rails and set limits on my kids' phone time.”
Our partnerships & relationships include
