Tech Rage IT’s Matt Rose Joins FOX 35 Orlando to Discuss Teen Social Media Safety and Parental Controls

Longwood, Fla., (August 25, 2026) - With parents facing growing concerns about how children and teenagers interact with strangers online, Tech Rage IT CXO Matt Rose joined FOX 35 Orlando to discuss practical ways families can improve teen social media safety and use parental controls more effectively.

The segment followed a disturbing Central Florida case involving a 16-year-old girl who investigators say met an adult through Snapchat before the situation escalated into alleged stalking. FOX 35 used the case to highlight a question many parents are now asking: how involved should they be in their child's social media use?

Rose told FOX 35 that the answer is not simply installing one app or turning on a single setting.

"There are a lot of tools available to parents, whether you're using an iPhone, Android device or one of the major social media platforms," Rose said. "But no technical control is going to replace actually being involved in what your child is doing online."

Parental Controls Are a Starting Point

During the FOX 35 interview, Rose discussed built-in parental control tools such as Google Family Link as well as controls available through phones, app stores and social media platforms.

These tools can help parents:

• Monitor screen time
• Limit access to specific apps
• Require approval before new apps are installed
• Restrict app store access
• Review how devices are being used
• Add additional supervision to teen social media accounts

Rose said the goal does not have to be preventing children from using technology altogether.

"It doesn't mean you have to restrict everything," Rose said. "At a minimum, these tools can give you visibility into what your kids are doing and allow you to make decisions about what you're comfortable with."

Use Teen and Family Accounts on Social Media

Many major social media and gaming platforms now offer teen accounts, supervised accounts or family controls designed to give parents additional visibility and approval options.

Rose encouraged parents to investigate those features rather than allowing children to use unrestricted adult accounts by default.

Teen account settings may limit how users interact with strangers, provide additional logging or allow parents to supervise certain account activity.

But Rose cautioned that these protections are not foolproof.

"You can put all the controls in the world in place, but kids are going to figure things out and things are going to happen that you don't expect," Rose said. "That's why you still have to be actively involved."

Parents Should Know What Apps Their Kids Are Using

Rose also encouraged parents to research unfamiliar apps before allowing children or teenagers to install them.

That is particularly important for social media platforms, messaging apps and services that allow disappearing messages or communication with strangers.

"If it's an app you don't know, research it before you approve it," Rose said. "Look at what the application does, what other parents are saying about it and whether there have been safety concerns associated with it."

Parents may reach different conclusions about what platforms are appropriate for their children, Rose said, but making an informed decision is better than simply approving every download.

"There are plenty of applications I'm not comfortable with for my kids that another parent might be perfectly comfortable with," Rose said. "The important part is taking the time to understand what the app actually allows your child to do."

Technology Does Not Replace Parenting

One of Rose's central messages during the FOX 35 interview was that parental controls should support conversations between parents and children, not replace them.

As a parent himself, Rose said he sometimes reviews his son's phone and asks questions about who is messaging him.

"I trust my kids. It's the internet I don't trust," Rose said. "There are bad people online, and unfortunately this is the field I work in, so I know some of the things that can happen."

Rose said those conversations are not about preventing children from having normal social lives or enjoying technology.

"You're not trying to stop them from having fun or having friends," he said. "You're trying to protect them from the kinds of situations we see in stories like this."

Online Safety Requires Ongoing Involvement

For parents looking for a single solution to keep children safe online, Rose said there unfortunately is not one.

Technology changes quickly. New apps appear, social media platforms evolve and children may find ways around restrictions.

That makes ongoing involvement one of the most important parts of online safety for kids and teenagers.

"Part of being a parent today is taking the time to consistently check what your kids are accessing," Rose said. "You don't have to be a helicopter parent, but you should know what apps they're using, what those apps can do and what risks may come with them."

A Growing Digital Safety Challenge for Central Florida Families

The FOX 35 discussion reflects a broader challenge facing families throughout Orlando and Central Florida as children spend more of their lives connected through smartphones, gaming platforms, messaging apps and social media.

For parents, Rose recommends combining technology with communication: enable available parental controls, use supervised or teen accounts where possible, research unfamiliar apps and regularly talk with children about who they are communicating with online.

"No technical control is ever going to be perfect," Rose said. "The technology can help, but parents still have to be involved."

Rose regularly appears on FOX 35 Orlando to provide practical insight on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, online safety and emerging technology issues affecting Central Florida businesses and families.

https://www.fox35orlando.com/video/fmc-vzg3ibqn4k75mcp2

###

For more information, please contact:

For Tech Rage IT: Matt Rose, 407-278-5664, Matt@TechRageIT.com.

About Tech Rage IT: Tech Rage IT is a woman-owned technology firm providing managed IT services, VoIP phone services, IT consulting and more to the frustrated, defeated and disappointed businesses craving more from their technology investment.

Tech Rage IT's registered tagline "We Prevent Tech Rage" speaks to their laser focus of being a recognized leader in reducing the raging-headaches that employers and their employees face every single day due to technology problems, such as inconsistent or high IT support costs, unreliable or outdated technology, faulty or slow devices, and ransomware or lost files. Tech Rage IT, headquartered in Longwood, has been serving the area since 2015. Find more information about how Tech Rage IT is preventing Tech Rage at www.TechRageIT.com.