The Daily Signal - How to Protect Your Kids From Internet Porn: There's an App for That

Episode Date: January 31, 2022

As a parent of three kids, including two boys who are obsessed with the latest technology, I know how challenging it can be to keep tabs on what they're doing on the internet. So, when I recently heard about Canopy, I immediately wanted to talk to Sean Clifford, its CEO. Canopy is an app that puts parents in control of a customizable internet experience for their kids. Clifford, a father of four, wanted to create a solution that blocked the worst of the internet. His goal was to give parents peace of mind by protecting their kids from pornographic content and other explicit material. "We've really brought two amazing, cutting-edge technology advances to the problem that we're trying to confront here," Clifford says. "The first is, our software uses artificial intelligence to identify pornography with greater than 99.7% accuracy. The second big advance is, we figured out how to do that in real time, on the fly." Clifford joins today's episode of "The Daily Signal Podcast" to explain why an unfiltered internet isn't safe for kids and what parents can do to take back control. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the Daily Signal podcast for Monday, January 31st. I'm Virginia Allen. And I'm Rob Blewey. On today's show, I talk with Sean Clifford, founder of Canopy. It's an app that parents can use to protect their kids from porn and other harmful content on the internet. We also read your letters to the editor and share a good news story about a football coach who canceled practice so his players could shovel the driveways of those in need. Before we get to today's show, we want to take a moment to tell you about an exciting opportunity. for college students and recent graduates. The Heritage Foundation is currently accepting applications for the summer 2022 internship program. If you or your young adult son or daughter

is passionate about conservative ideas and looking for a great real-world work experience this summer, then consider applying for the Heritage Foundation Young Leaders Program. In addition to gaining work experience in the nation's capital, interns receive policy briefings, take part in first principal lectures, and have the opportunity to build lasting relationships with fellow interns. Plus, it's a paid internship.

Applications are due by February 2nd. So apply today. To learn more and apply, visit heritage.org slash intern. Or simply search for the Young Leaders Program or internship on the Heritage Foundation website. Now stay tuned for today's show. Coming up next. As a parent of three kids, including two boys, who are obsessed with the latest technology,

I know how challenging it can be to keep tabs on what they're doing on the internet. So when I recently heard about Canopy, I immediately wanted to talk to Sean Clifford, its CEO. Sean, welcome to the Daily Signal podcast. Thanks so much for having me on. Well, you are a father as well, dad to four kids. Before we delve into the details of Canopy, can you share your own story with our listeners? What motivated you to pursue a project like this in the first place? Absolutely.

So a couple different motivations. The first, as you noted, just I'm a father of four, and I've come to realize the extent to which, as I think most parents have, technology is radically shaping the lives of our children. We can't escape it. It's in the schools. It's forming how we interact with each other socially, how friendships are formed, and it's just incredibly pervasive. And on many fronts, I think this is actually a very good thing. I'm very pro-technology. But as we've really progressed into this world in which the smartphone has been with us for 12 years now, we all are starting to recognize that it doesn't come without its own host of challenges. So as a father, I wanted to make sure that there was a way to still embrace technology and get the good of it without all the bad that regrettably attends it. Well, Sean, with that in mind, what's one piece of advice that you have for parents when it comes to the role that they should have monitoring their kids, activity on the Internet, or their use of devices, particularly smart devices,

where they can be connected, 24-7. It's a great question. I think it's a challenge that a lot of parents have, in part because we are the first generation of parents that's had to grapple with this exact problem. I know that parenting has always brought its share of difficulties, but we're the first ones that have to figure out issues like proper cell phone screen time or type of content that they can access online.

And so I come at this with a lot of humility and sympathy, but there's a few things that I really think all parents should do. Number one, they need to have the open door with their kids. They need to be having these conversations. And this is not only about how they're utilizing technology, but about the content that they can access there. This oftentimes means they'll speak to them earlier than you'd probably like, but it's so important because if they're not learning something from you, they're able to find it on Google, which is the go-to for any question that any child has. The second thing is, I think you need to figure out how to adopt healthy boundaries. And that really begins by thinking of a device, whether it's a smartphone or a tablet or a computer, as akin to a car.

You don't just hand over the keys to a seven-year-old and hope for the best. You gradually teach them how to use it responsibly, make them aware of some of the dangers they might encounter out there with the goal that ultimately they have the independence and the excitement that comes from having the run of the road. And then I think the third thing is as you're doing that, you really need to protect them. And that's where I think Canopy comes in. Canopy is software that you can put on your child's device to try and make sure they're not exposed to some of the more problematic content out there. And we think that this is not a silver bullet by any stretch of the imagination, but it can create the space and give you the time to have those vital conversations that are necessary so that as they go into the world, they're only encountering this stuff in the right time.

Well, let's talk about some of the mechanics of it. Explain a little bit more about Canopy, not only how it works, but how you developed it and how parents can put it to work for a better situation in their own family. You got it. So Canopy is software that you can download to your child's smartphone, tablet, or a computer. Once downloaded, it works in the background. We've really brought two amazing cutting-edge technology advances to the problem that we're trying to confront here. The first is, is our software uses artificial intelligence to identify pornography with greater than 99.7% accuracy. The second big advances, we figured out how to do that in real time on the fly.

The combination of these two things means that we have a filter that operates at the speed of the internet in real time and can inspect traffic on every website that you visit, every word, every image, every video in milliseconds to ensure that some of the content that perhaps is not appropriate for your kids never populates on screen. That's the first problem that we're trying to solve with it. We've also got some other features in there. We can deter sexting. We can try and help parents set up time limits for certain apps and things like that. But broadly speaking, the first thing that we're most closely focused on is ensuring that your kids can get the good of the internet without the bat. Well, and Sean, I appreciate, I think you and I come at this from a similar perspective.

There are some parents who I think view everything that's related to technology or the Internet as a bad thing. I think there is a lot of good. Frankly, the Daily Signal wouldn't exist if it weren't for the Internet and having a digital publishing platform that so many other conservatives can turn to for stories like this, frankly. But let me ask you this. There are several options on the market. I mean, I've tried a few myself, and some obviously work better than others. My kids have found hacks to get around things like screen time and other ways that. that kids, you know, just being kids, can sometimes outsmart their parents.

You say that Canopy really gives parents the opportunity to be in the driver's seat and kids aren't able to get around some of the various things that they made on other haps. What makes Canopy special in that regard? We've got an amazing team of Israeli computer scientists that have worked over time to try and make this as tamper-proof as possible. We call this locking the back doors. And you're exactly right. For so many of the products out there, there's regrettably a lot.

of ways that you can circumvent it. And even if it's one minor way to circumvent it, that effectively renders the whole tool of very little use to the family. Towards that end, we've done a few things. Number one, we've identified, you know, the top 10 ways that you can get around most of the filters and locked those down.

I'll give you the one example. Most apps now have their own in-app browser. So whether this is LinkedIn or Google Maps, where you can type in something and then click an option to open up a browser within that app. that is one way that oftentimes an enterprising individual looking to bypass a filter can then access content that the filter is not able to do. We can block that. We've got patents for removal prevention

on iOS and Android as well so that you can't take this off simply by deleting it without the parental approval and authorization and a few things like that. The final thing, though, that I'll quickly say is, you know, it's a very dynamic landscape out there. Things are constantly changing. And so one of the things we've done is we've got two teams of very smart, tech-savvy college students that know their way around the apps and these devices. And thus far, in a little over 14 months of working with them, they've not been able to find a way to bypass our filter. So things are always dynamic, but we kind of look at that as the torture test. If we can run through that gauntlet, we think hopefully that this will be a good tool that stays there and gives the parents peace of mind.

Well, that's great to hear. Thanks for taking that extra step. and trying to make sure that there aren't ways for the kids to get around it. You mentioned pornography specifically, and that is such a massive problem when it comes to the internet. And we've had guests on this show talking about the dangers of porn and its addictive effects. What do parents need to know before giving their kids a device and the problem that comes with pornography?

Gosh, it's a hard question. And it's just a tough topic to tackle in general. but I would say this. Parents need to appreciate that there's a difference between old porn and new porn. Old porn, I think, for most parents is what they think about, which is really epitomized by the old Playboy magazine. It was something that was hard to come by, somewhat limited in terms of its scope, right? Maybe 15 images and static images at that in a magazine. And broadly speaking, did not have the capacity to become addictive. And I'm not saying that that was fine, or a good thing in our society. But by comparison to new porn, it was completely wholly different. Today, the pornography that kids are encountering is dynamics, nearly infinite, it's HD videos,

it's being consumed and they're being exposed to it much, much younger. It's very hard for them to avoid it. And by that I mean that the average age of exposure is somewhere between nine and 11 years old. And for 62% of the instances of first exposure, it's accidental. kids are looking for this out there it is finding them and so the first thing is just for parents it's you have to regrettably recognize that the world our kids are stepping into this digital world is very different and they're being exposed to some problematic content earlier and earlier when their brain is more formative and it's warping their imagination so just the first thing is just education the second is understanding the extent to which this is having an impact

Thanks to advances in neuroscience, we now know a lot more about the way pornography impacts the brain, especially the adolescent developing brain. Given that it's now nearly infinite and that it's HD and that it's visual and very dynamic, it's having an impact in terms of shaping the imagination, shaping expectations around healthy relationships, and even changing taste over time, given that it's kind of a dopamine circuit and it needs to escalate to provide the same hits over time. So I think just being aware of the nature of this, you're starting to get more folks come out like Billy Eilish who disclosed that she's been addicted since age 11 and that it quote unquote destroyed her brain. And regrettably, I think we'll see more of that. It's really sad. And thank you for having such an articulate answer and in helping parents with the tools to be able to stop it. You also mentioned that Canopy helps prevent sexting. First of all, explain to our listeners what that is in case they're not familiar. Also, how canopy goes about helping parents be in the driver's seat to stop it from taking place.

Yeah, so this is one that I think shocks a lot of parents. Sexting is when you take a nude or very provocative image of yourself using typically a smartphone. And this really emerged on the scene with smartphones and the ability to capture selfies and images of yourself and then quickly distribute them. And has now become regrettably a much more common practice of, the American teenage life. A couple of stats that are pre-COVID, and I'll just keep that in mind because it's only grown since then. One out of seven American teenagers has sent to sexed. One out of four has received one. And two-thirds of all American girls at age 14 through 18 have been asked to send a nude photo of themselves. There's now the tool that exists to actually execute on this.

And there's a growing amount of peer pressure, oftentimes from anonymous strangers or even people that you know in your your own school that will say, hey, just share this. And as you know, Rob, digital is forever. And once these things get out, they can really get out. And one of the more harrowing things that comes with the role that I'm in now is just talking to parents whose kids, oftentimes parents and daughters have had pictures get out. And it's just, it's devastating, as you can imagine. So Canopy tries to help forestall that by, it's an opt-in feature, giving our software the ability to scan every image that's taken by a device and saved to memory. The second it hits the memory, our robot, no human is ever involved, is able to scan it. And if it contains minimal clothing or

nudity, we can pop up a little warning saying, hey, are you sure you meant to take that photo? If they think that maybe our software made a mistake, they can say yes, and a photo will be sent to the parent for approval. If it is inappropriate, on the other hand, hopefully they'll just delete it on the spot and move on and kind of give them that half step to reconsider whether that's something they really want to do and create some deterrence in there that if they want to keep the photo, a parent will be receiving a copy of it. So it's a small step constantly working to make the experience a little bit more seamless and compelling, but we really want to equip teenagers to be informed to kind of better decision makers about some of the things they're doing with their devices. Well, it's another important tool.

You've also given Canopy the ability to allow parents to choose what apps and websites their kids can use. How does that work? Is it a process of opting them out of certain websites or informing parents about what their kids are actually doing when they're on a device? Explain what parents can do when it comes to that aspect of canopy. Yeah, so there's three levels to it. First and foremost, we automatically block every website that contains pornographic material. Like, it's a pornographic website. Then we give parents the option to block certain categories of websites, whether if you want to get your kid off all,

gaming sites, click a one button, you can shut off access to all those, whether it's a website or an app, or it's social media, or different types of categories that are out there. The third thing is you have the opportunity to go through and specifically block a particular app or a particular website and just enter it in and we'll make sure that the device is not able to connect to the internet for that particular app. And we've known some parents that use this when perhaps it's a game like Fortnite, that the kids have. having a hard time putting down, they can turn that off for timeout or if they're grounded or things like that. If there's certain sites out there that just aren't age appropriate or have had

a negative impact, we really want to give families in particular the ability to once again curate what they're consuming online. Algorithms have stripped that choice from us and kind of pushed it off to big tech companies and anonymous strangers. And we don't think that's appropriate as especially more and more kids are spending time online. So this was a very important. So this was a our attempt, and we still have work to be done, but to try and put parents and families back in the driver's seat over what their kids encounter online. That's great, Sean. Now, let me ask, before I get to some other questions, how can parents sign up? I know you have a free trial, so initially you're not asking for any money. They can, I think, spend some time using the app

and getting familiar with it. What's the best way for them to get started? Well, thanks so much for the question. They can check us out at canopy.us, C-A-N-O-P-Y-U-S. It's our website where we walk through our features, a little bit more information about the technology and how it works, and they can take the next step towards starting a free trial. We give all customers a one-month free trial because we have confidence in our platform and we want them to have the time to install it on their devices, check it out, kick the tires, and hopefully have a great experience with it. You've also talked about Canopy as helping to facilitate conversations among families. How are some examples that you've encountered, maybe in your own family, about where this can be a positive impact on the kids and also inform the parents about what the kids might be using the Internet for?

Yeah, that's a great question. Look, going back to what we talked about earlier, so many parents are coming home and trying to wrestle with how they're using technology in their own lives and also how their families are adopting it. especially in the COVID era, so much of education was pushed online. And I think a lot of that, for better or worse, is here to stay. So as parents are wrestling with, just how do I navigate this crazy new digital landscape? We wanted to emerge as a resource, a Sherpa of sorts, to help walk them through some of the challenges that are out there. First and foremost, by providing information about some of the challenges that exist. And then also giving them tips and tricks for whether it's our tool or other things that they can do with the native capabilities

to make sure that their kids are emerging as responsible, healthy, and happy users of digital devices. A lot of that is information-based, just trying to pass along what we've gleaned from seeing how thousands and thousands of American households are using their devices, what the pitfalls are, what the opportunities are to kind of move better. Again, we come at this from the perspective of technology can be amazing. We're pro-tech, we're not Luddites, but any stretch of the imagination, and we want to equip families with both the tools and the wisdom they need to get the most out of it. You've also mentioned the change that many parents have gone through in the age of COVID, where kids are now as young as kindergarten or first grade being given a computer by

their school to bring home on a daily basis. I'm just curious. I know that in many cases, they probably have their own software that blocks certain websites and different apps from being accessed on those computers. But sometimes it's all. of the parents control. They may decide that they as a family aren't going to give their own kid a laptop until their certain age, but if the school is giving them one in its place, what can they do in a situation like that? It really has become a tough scenario for a lot of families. You were correct to note that a lot of the school-issued devices don't come with the appropriate protocols in place to ensure that kids are protected. And in some cases, it simply

reflects the chaotic nature of the modern Internet. It used to be that there was a dark side of the internet, and as long as you didn't go over there, you would be fine. And it was easy enough to kind of put a wall around that and proceed. Now we regrettably are able to find problematic, explicit content on almost every major social media platform that exists. And so you're forced with scenarios. Do you allow all of Facebook or none of Facebook? All of YouTube or none of YouTube. All of Twitter or none of Twitter.

And that Butcher's Cleaver approach can be problematic. You know, Twitter can be a source of memes and jokes and education and sports scores, and it can be helpful to kind of understand broader occurrence in the world, and it can also be regrettably a vector for pornography. So when parents confront those situations, we like to offer up our tool is, instead of providing that Butchers Cleaver approach, providing more of a scalpel, right? We can allow you on Twitter.com, on Reddit.com, on these sites, and only pull out the bad stuff so that you don't have to shut down huge swabs of the internet just because something might be bad. We're able to still give you access to the good by just extracting or quilting out as we refer to it,

only the content that's not appropriate. Shud, what's your rule of thumb if you have one in your own family's case or in the research you've looked at? When should a child be entrusted with a smartphone or allowed to sign up for a social media platform like Facebook or Twitter? Or Or is it really dependent on that individual family and that individual child's maturity level? You know, I joke that my daughter can get her first device when she's voted in her second presidential election. So not sure that's realistic going forward. But look, I think it really depends. Broadly speaking with respect to smartphones, I would encourage families to push that off as long as possible.

I know it can be a lot of pressure. Again, I come at this with humility. and I know that especially during the COVID era, technology has provided a lifeline of socializing to people that have been locked down and isolated for a long time. I think each family needs to make a decision. I don't think there's a right or wrong answer. Broadly speaking, I push off the adoption of their first device, but with education moving online, that's been difficult.

So for a lot of families that are kind of in this murky middle where they've got some of it pushed from schools, they've got a lot of peer pressure to get it, I think the broader posture needs to be. technology is going to find its way into our lives, and we have to start demonstrating how to live with it well, how to use it wisely. And whether that's modeling behavior, which would be different for a 7-year-old versus a 10-year-old versus a 14-year-old, each stage you need to have some ground rules and guidelines around what it looks like to use tech well. And a big part of that, and this is oftentimes the hardest, and I'm probably the worst defender there is parents have to model that behavior for their kids. in our home, we do not allow devices into the bedrooms. And that, for me, like, I work late and it's tough, but we want to set that in motion

so that when our kids get older, they know that's just a Clifford family rule and they live by it. We don't allow phones at the table. That can be hard. And oftentimes, you know, I want to show my kids a little quick something, but they will now tell me and chide me, no phones at the table, daddy. And I think small things like that that can kind of apply across the board, irrespective of the age, will help institute this idea for your children that these devices have boundaries. And when you

used well, they can be amazing, but don't transgress them. Well, parents certainly are the best role models. And another thing your family does is tech-free Saturdays. Tell us more about that and how it works in your household. Yes. So we turn off our devices on Friday night. Don't turn them back on until Saturday night, which has really been a gift. I know it can be a struggle. When we first started, it was challenging for us, but number one, our kids love it. They actually love turning off the devices that's become a little ritual unto itself. Number two, it has given us a chance to unplug to relax. The more that I come to learn about neuroscience and the way that our devices are little dopamine factories that are habituating us to expect that constant hit, the more that I appreciate that

taking one day a week away from this where it's just not the constant stimulation can just really be a healthy way to kind of reset your own mental machinery. And it's healthy for adults. It's especially healthy for kids just to see that like, hey, these things have a time and a place and that's not always. Sean, thanks for the advice today. I think for any parents or grandparents who are listening, this is really practical steps that they can take in their own family. You've also invested a considerable amount of your time and resources to build canopy. again, for any listeners who want to check it out, it's canopy.us. Any closing thoughts you want to share with our listeners today?

I just would encourage parents to be active, especially as your kids navigate this world. I know you're going to receive some eye rolls as you start to intervene into the digital space, but you matter. We have looked at the research on how parents can actually shape the choices that their kids make online. And one of the things we find is, even when you're not, you're getting the eye rolls and you're getting pushback and you're getting some tension from trying to put devices in their plays, it really does stick. And they may not thank you immediately, but more often than not, they'll thank you down the road.

So I just would encourage ongoing dedication to do this. It matters. You matter to your kids. And ultimately, it's worth it. That was Sean Clifford, CEO of Canopy. Great advice, Sean. Best wishes to you as you build this company and as yourself as a father as you navigate these issues with your own.

kids. Thank you so much. Conservative women. Conservative feminists. It's true. We do exist. I'm Virginia Allen and every Thursday morning on problematic women, Lauren Evans and I sort through the news to bring you stories and interviews that are particular interest to conservative leaning or problematic women. That is women whose views and opinions are often excluded or mocked by those on the so-called feminist left. We talk about every. everything from pop culture to policy and politics. Search for problematic women wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for sending us your letters to the editor. Each Monday we feature our favorites on this show.

Virginia, who's up first? In response to Sarah Partial Perry on John Carlo Canaparo's commentary, 18 more federal agencies I making vaccine religious objector lists, Gail of Venice, Florida, writes, Dear Daily Signal, I protest the establishment of this new record system in the pretrial services agency for the District of Columbia that will store the names and personal religious information of all employees who make religious accommodation requests for religious exemption from the federally mandated vaccination requirement. It is contrary to our Constitution and to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to keep records of the religious affiliation of citizens with no purpose stated.

The policy should be struck down immediately. And in response to that same article, Caroline DeViva Becker writes, Dear Daily Signal, thank you for shedding light on this threat to human, legal, and religious rights here in America. The policy to list law-abiding Americans who have committed no crime is reminiscent of Nazi Germany's first steps toward the Holocaust. Why would the president secure a law enforcement agency, the pretrial service agency, to handle this list of Americans.

This is an attack on America from within. Your letter can be featured on next week's show. So send us an email at Letters at DailySignal.com. I'm Zach Smith. And I'm John Carl O'Conaparo. And if you want to understand what's happening at the Supreme Court, be sure to check out SCOTUS 101, a Heritage Foundation podcast. We take a look at the cases, the personalities,

and the gossip at the highest court in the land. Be sure to subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever else you find your podcasts. It's SCOTUS 101. Virginia, you have a good news story to share with us today. Over to you. Thanks so much, Rob. A high school football team used a recent snow day to help the elderly and disabled in their community. Bethel Park, Pennsylvania is just 10 miles south of Pittsburgh and has been enjoying quite a lot of snow recently. A couple weeks ago, the football coach, Brian Delano, canceled weightlifting practice at Bethel High School because of the weather. Instead, he told his students their workout was to help someone in need per Fox 8.

So I tweeted out, hey, Monday's weight room workout is canceled. Instead, go find an elderly neighbor, a disabled neighbor, someone who otherwise can't do it themselves, and shovel their driveway or their walkway, and we're not taking any money. We're going to do this for our workout, for our Monday workout. The football players took their coach's instructions to heart, some spending as long as seven hours on Monday shoveling driveways in their community. Athlete Colton Pfeiffer told Pittsburgh's Action News 4, it was fun to see how thankful his community was for the help. She was excited, she asked how much it was. We said it was free of course, she was all excited and thankful for it.

It was just nice to see that. The team shoveling driveways is actually a long-time tradition. Former head coach Jeff Methany started the practice of helping neighbors on snowy days, and Delano says he is glad to keep that tradition going. Most of them kind of know their neighborhoods, and they know where those people are who need that help. So they know which doors to knock on and who to go next. And what's crazy is while they're out there, people see them,

and then neighbors start coming out of their houses, and they start helping. And we had crews with moms and dads and brothers and sisters. We had crews out with neighbors. We had kids from other sports programs in the school, and it really kind of took off and became this community thing, which was great. What a great way to see a community come together to help one another. We certainly hope that everyone who got snow over the weekend is staying safe and warm. And, hey, if you're able to maybe consider grabbing a shovel and seeing if any of your neighbors need a hand. Well, Virginia, I had that experience recently because I found myself in a situation when Virginia was hit with the big snow storm.

that the power line, the cable line, actually, it wasn't a live power line, had fallen down from my house was across the street and cars were passing over it. And so in order to help one of the neighbors get out, I saw all of the community come together and really pitch in to help. And this was happening up and down the streets. So despite our political differences and obviously living in northern Virginia, there are Republicans and Democrats and people who probably voted for Glenn Yonkin or Terry McAuliffe. Sure. But on a day like that, you were able to set all that aside and come to a neighbor in need. That's so good. That's encouraging to hear, I think, to see those things just naturally occur organically in our neighborhoods.

That's really what being an American is all about. It sure is. Well, we're going to leave it there for today. You can find the Daily Signal podcast on the Rurkishay Audio Network. All of our shows are found at dailysignal.com slash podcasts. You can also subscribe on Apple Podcast, Google Play, or your favorite podcast app. If you like what you hear, please leave us a room. view into five-star rating. It means a lot to us and helps us spread the word to other listeners.

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