Josh Ochs, the nation’s leading digital safety expert on keeping student Safe & Successful®
Josh Ochs is an author, former Disney marketer, Podcast host, Founder of SmartSocial.com, and one of the top digital safety speakers in the nation who helps families understand AI, social media, screen time, online predators, and the digital pressures kids face every day.
Why hosts and producers keep booking Josh
TV & news features
40+
800+
Podcast episodes hosted
270+
School districts served
2MM+
Families reached each year
50+
Live speaking events/year
450+
Parent & student safety resources
Josh helps parents navigate AI & Social Media to keep Kids Safe & Successful Online
Parents are overwhelmed by AI, Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, Roblox, Fortnite, disappearing messages, online predators, sextortion, and the pressure kids feel to go viral. Most coverage leaves parents more anxious than informed. Josh does the opposite. He takes the fastest-moving, most frightening topics in a family's life and makes them clear, practical, and genuinely hopeful, with real examples, plain language, and next steps listeners can act on before the episode is over.
He's also built for the format. With 40+ TV appearances and 280+ of his own podcast episodes, Josh knows how to land a point in a tight window, play off a host, and keep an audience leaning in. Producers love that he shows up prepared and easy to work with. Booking teams love that he can speak to the news of the week — a new app, a viral challenge, a fresh AI tool — on short notice.
"He makes parents feel capable instead of terrified."
As seen on TV — watch Josh in action
The fastest way to know if Josh is right for your audience is to watch him work. Here are recent segments from stations across the country.
Fox 17 Nashville TV News Press Fighting AI Nudify Apps
Chicago NBC 5 Josh Ochs AI Safety Dangers by Smart Social
Phoenix Arizona Channel 3-5 Reports on Meta/YouTube Social Media Addiction Case (40th News Clip)
Santa Rosa County School District is partnering with SmartSocial to provide parents guidance on online safety (39th News Clip)
Buckeye Union High School District Partners with SmartSocial TV News Press
Santa Rosa County District Schools Launches SmartSocial in Florida
Los Banos School District SmartSocial TV News Clip
Greenville County Schools Launches SmartSocial
Greenville County Schools Launches SmartSocial TV News Press on Fox Carolina
Lucia Mar USD SmartSocial Press Short Version
Palo Alto USD Partners with SmartSocial To Keep Kids Safe From AI Apps
Poughkeepsie City School Board Partners with SmartSocial to increase online safety
Washington County Tennessee Schools Partnership with SmartSocial com
SmartSocial.com Protects Lucia Mar USD Parents (Press Clip KSBY Ch 6)
Iowa News Now College Community School District news Clip
Iowa News Now College Community School District news Clip
Iowa News Now College Community School District news Clip
KTLA-TV in Los Angeles Reports on Privacy of Social Media and TikTok Silhouette Challenge
Secret Emojis, Hashtags, & Acronyms with Josh Ochs Fox 8 News Clip
Snapchat Drug Dangers KOLD News 13
Josh Ochs Digital Citizenship Have A Dialog With Kids Press
KCTV5 Josh Ochs Feature Press
Josh Ochs KTLA Ch 5 TikTok challenge social media news segment
News Report on Sadfishing and The Dangers to Kids
Josh Ochs Hiding Likes on Facebook ABC Action News Network
Josh Ochs Cyber Bullying Tips on Tulsa OK NBC2 News Segment
Josh Ochs ABC News Segment Instagram Bullying Features
Social Media Impact on Teen Depression Suicide Josh Ochs ABC Action Newscast Tampa Florida
How Turn Social Media Into a Positive Resource ABC Action News Josh Ochs Newscast
YOLO App Josh Ochs on KTLA Ch 5 LA News Segment
Josh Ochs Smart Social ABC27 News Segment
SmartSocial.com Press on KHQ in Coeur d'Alene Idaho
Digital Citizenship Conference Press from CBS2 News LA
Josh Ochs Footprint Friday CBS2 News Press
Footprint Friday CBS2 News Press
Josh Ochs NBC ch 8 Monterey Digital Citizenship Speaker
Josh Ochs San Antonio Texas Fox 29 News Press
Josh Ochs on Ch 12 Kansas News about Digital Citizenship
Topics Josh can cover on your show
Pick one, mix several, or tell Josh the angle your audience needs and he'll tailor it. Each works as a full episode or a tight news segment.
How far will kids go to make a video go viral?
Inside the attention economy, kids live in algorithms, peer pressure, and the risky behavior parents never see. Great for shock-of-recognition moments and practical guardrails.
Is Roblox (and Fortnite, and Discord) really as dangerous as people say?
A calm, practical look at gaming platforms, chat features, strangers, and privacy and exactly where families should draw the line.
Online predators and the warning signs every parent should know
How grooming actually happens in games and DMs, the red flags kids miss, and how to get help before a situation escalates. Handled responsibly, never sensationalized.
AI isn't going anywhere. Here's how to raise a kid who thrives with it
How families can let kids use AI for learning, creativity, and future-ready skills while staying honest about the risks. A hopeful counterweight to the doom.
Snapchat, TikTok & Instagram: how the apps are shaping your child's behavior
Disappearing messages, social comparison, viral trends, and digital reputation. What's really happening behind the screen, and how to talk about it.
How to "Shine Online": building a reputation that opens doors
How one post can shape friendships, school discipline, college admissions, and job offers and how kids can build a footprint that works for them.
Don't see your angle? Josh will build a custom one for your audience.
Everything you need to introduce Josh (steal this)
Pronunciation: Josh Ochs — rhymes with "oaks."
"My guest today helped Disney capture kids' attention and now he helps families protect it. He's the founder of SmartSocial.com, author of the Light, Bright & Polite book series, and one of the country's most-booked digital safety experts, working with hundreds of school districts and reaching about a million families a year. Please welcome Josh Ochs."
Three Fast Facts
Former Disney marketer turned digital safety educator (13+ years)
Founder of SmartSocial.com; works with 270+ school districts in 40+ states
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Josh Ochs is the host of the SmartSocial podcast shaping the next generation to be Safe & Successful®
The SmartSocial Podcast brings together brand and district leaders to help families to develop skills and navigate the digital world with more confidence
SmartSocial.com: 3 million+ visitors each year
SmartSocial.com YouTube Channel: 700,000+ video views each year
SmartSocial.com newsletter reaches 45,000+ subscribers each week (2 million+ inbox impressions/year)
Natonal partnerships with districts protecting 1MM students
Trusted by 290 school districts across 27 states
“Josh turns what could be a terrifying topic into an incredibly hopeful, actionable roadmap for our families.”
Providence Academy
School Leadership
“Our parents walked away feeling capable, informed, and ready to have positive conversations with their kids.”
Pottsgrove SD
Superintendent
“The best digital safety presentation we have ever hosted. Practical, engaging, and highly relevant.”
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Blue Valley HS
Principal
Watch Josh speak
Josh hosts 50+ live virtual events for school districts across the nation, helping to protect 2 million families.
About Josh Ochs
Short Media Bio (for show notes)
Josh Ochs is an author, former Disney marketer, and the founder of SmartSocial.com — and one of the most-booked digital safety experts in the country. He helps families understand AI, social media, screen time, online predators, and the digital pressures kids face every day, turning today's scariest online topics into clear, hopeful, and practical conversations.
Long Bio
Josh Ochs once helped Disney capture kids' attention. For more than a decade since, he's helped families protect it.
As an author, the founder of SmartSocial.com, and one of the nation's leading digital safety experts, Josh helps parents, students, educators, and school districts understand the online world kids are growing up in. From AI and social media pressure to screen time, online predators, disappearing messages, digital reputation, and viral video culture, he turns the topics that scare families most into conversations they can actually use.
Josh is the author of the Light, Bright & Polite book series, which teaches students to "Shine Online" and build a digital footprint that someday impresses colleges and employers. He leads 50+ live events every school year, hosts a top podcast for school superintendents, and has been featured on 40+ TV news programs nationwide. His mission is simple: replace fear with a plan.
Bring Josh to your audience
Whether you're booking a podcast guest, planning a news segment, or hosting a parent safety night, Josh gives audiences clear, practical, and hopeful tools — and makes your job easy. He prepares for your show, speaks to the news of the week, and delivers an experience your listeners will thank you for.
Are you a school or district? Start here →