Bringing parents, educators and experts together to make the digital world easier for families to navigate.
Raising children has always come with questions. Today, many of those questions are changing faster than parents can find answers.
How should families approach artificial intelligence? When does social media become harmful? How do we set healthy boundaries without losing our children’s trust? What are schools seeing that parents may not see at home? And how can families benefit from technology while also understanding its risks?
These are not questions parents should have to figure out alone.
That is why 3A1Z Stories is launching the Family Digital Safety Conversation Series — a continuing series of practical conversations bringing parents, educators, researchers, community leaders and other experts together to talk openly about raising children in an increasingly digital world.
Our first conversation will take place virtually on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, from 5:00–6:00 p.m. Eastern / 2:00–3:00 p.m. Pacific. Participation is free.
Why We Are Starting These Conversations
3A1Z Stories is a nonprofit organization focused on helping parents and families navigate childhood in the age of AI, social media and rapidly changing technology.
We believe families need more than warnings about technology. They need understandable information, trusted voices, practical ideas and opportunities to ask questions.
Researchers can help us understand what the evidence is showing. Educators see how technology is affecting learning, behavior and relationships. Community leaders understand the realities families face. Most importantly, parents bring the everyday experience of raising children through these changes.
3A1Z Stories brings those perspectives into the same conversation.
Our role is not to tell families that technology is simply good or bad. It is to help parents better understand the world their children are growing up in and give them information they can use to make thoughtful decisions at home.
What We Hope to Accomplish
Through the Family Digital Safety Conversation Series, 3A1Z Stories aims to:
- Make expert knowledge accessible to everyday families, translating research and emerging technology issues into conversations parents can understand and use.
- Create a bridge between parents, educators and experts so that families can hear perspectives they may not normally encounter in one place.
- Give parents practical tools and confidence, rather than adding to fear or information overload.
- Bring real family experiences into discussions about technology, so solutions are informed not only by research and policy but also by what happens at home.
- Reach diverse communities, including immigrant, refugee and newcomer families and others who may face language, cultural or digital-literacy barriers.
- Build an ongoing community around digital parenting, where families can continue learning as AI, social media and technology evolve.
Over time, individual conversations will explore topics such as AI and learning, social media and well-being, screen habits, algorithms, online safety, privacy, misinformation, cyberbullying, digital relationships, healthy boundaries and the responsibilities of technology companies, schools and communities.
The First Conversation
Our first discussion will look at the broader question of what it means to raise children safely and confidently in a world increasingly shaped by AI, social media and digital technology.
Rather than a series of formal presentations, this will be a moderated conversation. Our panelists will bring different perspectives — research, AI readiness, education, training and community engagement — while keeping the discussion centered on what these changes mean for parents and families.
We will explore questions such as where the biggest gaps exist between parents’ understanding of technology and children’s actual digital experiences; how AI can support learning without replacing thinking; how families can balance safety, monitoring and trust; and what responsibility schools, communities, technology companies and policymakers share with parents.
Meet the Panel
Sunny Xun Liu, PhD
Director of Research, Stanford Social Media Lab
Sunny Xun Liu is a Research Scholar and Director of Research at the Stanford Social Media Lab, with an academic appointment as Associate Director for Research at Stanford’s Cyber Policy Center. Her research examines the social and psychological effects of social media and artificial intelligence, digital literacy, well-being and how emerging technologies shape people’s perceptions and experiences. Her work has been supported by organizations including the National Science Foundation, Google Research and Stanford HAI.
Her work is particularly relevant to families: Stanford’s Adolescents and Well-being initiative is focused on helping parents understand young people’s digital experiences and identifying practical strategies that can help adolescents stay safe and thrive online.
William Willis
Executive Director, AI Ready RVA
William Willis is Executive Director of AI Ready RVA, a nonprofit building the AI literacy and workforce infrastructure Greater Richmond needs to compete in an AI-driven economy. After helping establish the organization and serving as board chair, he became its first Executive Director and full-time employee in March 2026.
Before leading AI Ready RVA, William worked inside enterprise AI at Capital One’s Center for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, where he led program management supporting AI and machine-learning adoption. His earlier career includes two decades in operations, quality control and supply chain. Today, AI Ready RVA convenes industry cohorts across sectors including healthcare, finance, law, cybersecurity and manufacturing while expanding AI education and community engagement throughout Greater Richmond.
Ramona Taheri
Executive Director, Peace Operations Training Institute
Ramona Taheri is Executive Director of the Peace Operations Training Institute, where she has spent more than 13 years working with United Nations agencies, organizations and subject-matter experts to develop accessible training on complex international and humanitarian issues. Her work has included training related to civilian protection, humanitarian relief, conflict resolution, gender, mine action and international humanitarian law.
Her background also includes work and volunteering with Amnesty International USA, the Red Cross and refugee resettlement organizations. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in Political Science from Columbia University.
Moderator
Dr. Sabine Charles
Moderator
Dr. Sabine Charles is a leadership speaker, educator and the Founder, President and CEO of Charles Financial Strategies. Her work brings together leadership development, organizational strategy, education and the science of human behavior. She has more than 15 years of experience advising senior leaders and is an experienced speaker and facilitator on leadership, emotional intelligence, innovation and navigating change.
Dr. Charles has been connected with 3A1Z Stories from its early stages and will guide this first conversation, helping turn the panelists’ different perspectives into an accessible and practical discussion for families.
A Conversation That Continues Beyond One Hour
The September 16 event is only the beginning.
Each conversation will become part of a larger 3A1Z resource for families. Discussions will be recorded and developed into videos, short clips, written stories, practical takeaways and other parent-friendly resources so that the value of each conversation can continue long after the live event ends.
We also want these discussions to work in both directions.
Experts have important knowledge to share with families — but parents also have experiences, questions and concerns that researchers, educators and community leaders need to hear.
By bringing those voices together, we hope to create something more useful than another webinar: an ongoing conversation about how we raise children well in a world that keeps changing.
Join the First Conversation
Wednesday, September 16, 2026
5:00–6:00 p.m. Eastern | 2:00–3:00 p.m. Pacific
Virtual | Free Registration
Parents, caregivers, educators, community leaders and anyone interested in helping children navigate AI, social media and digital life are welcome.
Real people. Practical insights. Safer tomorrows.
