Craig Knippenberg • Knippenberg, Patterson, Langley and Associates

09/04/2026

: I recently joined Chandra Thomas Whitfield on Colorado Public Radio at CPR News to talk about a hard topic: how early kids are running into explicit content online, and what parents can actually do about it.

Here's what I told her: I'm seeing third and fourth graders whose parents just discovered what they've been looking at, and most of the time, they child didn't go looking for it. It found them. Little kids have no frame of reference for what they're seeing, and honestly, for a lot of them, it's scary.

The part that worries me most: roughtly 43% of kids who see something like this never tell a parent.

So my advice is less about filters and more about preparation. Start the "birds and bees" conversation earlier than feels comfortable. Tell your kids ahead of time. If you see something like this, it's for adults only, and you can always come talk to me.

Keep devices in shared spaces. Build the bigger conversation around consent, respect, and what it means to actually care about another person.

One more thing: Please don't say "that's not my child." None of us really know what's happening behind the scenes.

Children are being exposed to po*******hy at increasingly young ages and the effects can be damaging to their long-term development, a Denver licensed clinical social worker warns.

09/01/2026

A playground is a perfect place for kids to come together, have fun, play and work together. They learn some of the most important social skills they'll ever need here!

In this clip, I break down the three brain areas that shape how your child shows up socially: The President (the thinking and decision-making part), the emotional system, and the mirror neuron or nonverbal system. When those three work together, you get a real picture of how your child functions socially, and where they need your help.

The best part? Any child, kindergarten through young adult, can learn to understand their own social brain, take responsibility for it, and watch it grow.

This is Segment 1 of a series I recorded some years ago, and it's been getting rediscovered lately, so I'm bringing more social brain tips your way this fall!

What's the trickiest social moment at your house right now? Recess, lunch table or group projects, or something else entirely? Let me know!

08/26/2026

Meet Angie Rothkamp, a licensed professional counselor with us at KPLA that provides parenting coaching, child counseling and family therapy.

Over the years, I've noticed that the questions parents ask in my office tend to land in a few buckets.

"How do I stop these tantrums?"
"How do we bring some peace into this chaotic house?"
"My partner and I both love our kids. Why are we parenting so differently?"
"How do I quit having the same argument with my teenager?" "How do I help my child launch?"

Those are exactly the questions Angie loves working on.

Her approach starts where ours always does: with your child's individual uniqueness and temperament. Misbehavior almost always has a purpose behind it, and once you can name that purpose, the boundaries you set start actually working. She helps couples find shared values and routines so the two of you are pulling in the same direction, and she helps parents of teens step out of fruitless power struggles and into the work of empowering a kid to go out into the world.

She also walks alongside Christian families who want to pray for their kids well and see themselves as co-parenting with God.

If you're curious about learning more, please reach out! I know she'd love to connect with you.

https://www.craigknippenberg.com/

08/24/2026

I joined Chandra Thomas Whitfield on Colorado Matters to talk about what I've called a po*******hy epidemic among young people, and her first question was a fair one: what do you actually mean by that?

My answer surprises people. That phrase isn't new at all. The Denver Post published an article about it in 2006.

Think about what 2006 looked like. Desktop computers. One screen, usually in the living room. That was the new thing everybody was worried about.

And since then it has just exploded.

That's why I keep telling parents: before anything else, understand the scope of the adult entertainment industry as it exists right now. Not the version you remember from when you were raising your first kid. The version your child is growing up inside.

For those of you who were parenting in 2006, does that comparison land differently for you? I'd like to hear it. 👇

08/19/2026

Parents ask me all the time how to help their kids develop a healthy relationship with sexuality when explicit content is everywhere online.

My answer starts somewhere that surprises a lot of people: before you install anything, understand what's out there.

Do some research on your own.
You can pull up the statistics on the industry and see how big it is and where it's going.
Right now the fastest-growing categories are AI-generated explicit images, including teens putting a classmate's face onto one and posting it.

And it's heading toward virtual reality. If your kids have a VR headset for tennis or racing games, that's the same space the industry is expanding into.

You're always trying to keep up with what's out there and what's coming next.

Parents: had you heard about the AI piece yet? I'd genuinely like to know how many of you are already having this conversation at home. 👇

08/13/2026

A delightful conversation with Colorado Public Radio about a topic that is impacting all families.

Research finds that kids are exposed to online po*******hy more often, and at younger ages, than ever before, thanks to technology and social media. The effects are often damaging, negatively shaping how they understand relationships, consent, and even their own bodies. We speak with Craig Knippenbe...

08/12/2026

Yesterday, I was on Colorado Public Radio (Colorado Matters) with Chandra Thomas Whitfield to discuss a topic most parents dread bringing up: kids and exposure to explicit content online.

Here's what I want you to hear: your child seeing something they shouldn't have is not a parenting failure. It's a given at this point. What matters is what happens in the ten seconds after they tell you, or the ten seconds that convince them never to tell you again.

Deep breath. Curiosity instead of panic. That's the whole strategy.

Give it a listen and let me know what questions it raises for you. I'd love to bring the discussion here! 👇

Research finds that kids are exposed to online po*******hy more often, and at younger ages, than ever before, thanks to technology and social media. The effects are often damaging, negatively shaping how they understand relationships, consent, and even their own bodies. We speak with Craig Knippenbe...

08/12/2026

Pour the coffee! I'm on the radio in an hour.

I sat down with Chandra Thomas Whitfield at Colorado Public Radio for a long conversation about kids and po*******hy, and how early exposure is happening, why so much of it is accidental, and what to actually say when you find out your child has seen something.

I know that's an uncomfortable topic to see in your feed on a Tuesday morning. It's uncomfortable in my office, too. But in all my years of practice, I've never once seen shame make a child safer. What keeps kids safe is a parent who can stay calm, stay curious, and keep the door open.

If you've been dreading this conversation, or you've already had it and it went sideways, I think this one's worth an hour.

Colorado Matters on CPR News (90.1 FM)
Today at 9 a.m., again tonight at 7 p.m. MT
Online:

Colorado Matters focuses on the state's people, issues and ideas. Hosted by Ryan Warner, Colorado Matters can be heard every day on Colorado Public Radio News at 90.1 FM in Denver and available as a podcast wherever you listen.

08/06/2026

Yesterday morning, I sat down with Colorado Public Radio for 90 minutes on a topic that makes a lot of us squirm: kids and po*******hy.

Here's what I keep coming back to. Most parents are terrified of the moment they find out.

But that moment isn't the crisis. How we respond to it is.

Panic and punishment teach a child that this is a subject they handle alone. Calm curiosity teaches them we're a safe place to land.

It was an in-depth, thoughtful conversation, and I'm grateful they gave it real time.

Airing Tuesday on CPR! I'll post the link when it's up.

Parents: has this come up in your house yet? What made it easier (or harder) to talk about?

07/31/2026

"My plan was to be a pediatrician — but I realized I really didn't like blood and bones." 😅

That's how I opened my conversation with VoyageDenver, and they just published the whole thing.

In the interview, I talk about the grad school internship that turned into a lifelong passion for group work, opening my practice back in 1986, and why supporting neuro-exceptional kids and their families has always been the heart of it for me.

Give it a read! And if you or your family have been part of one of my groups over the years, I'd love to hear from you in the comments. 💙