Who Am I?

Catherine is an Online Harms Consultant having spent over 30 years working with Tech in some way shape or form in business and daily life that resulted in her creating Children and Tech as a business, She is also 'by trade' a Consultant Child/Adult Trauma Psychotherapist and Supervisor working with tiny children through to grown ups (some in their 70s), A Functional Health Practitioner, Author of 7 books, Peer reviewed research and also an editor for a journal at Frontiers (specialising in Cybersecurity in Digital mental health), She has given a TEDx talk and is a Keynote Speaker, Trainer and above all Mum.

This makes her (in academic language) an 'Interpersonal Neurobiological Practitioner' synthesising theoretical integration of a number of disciplines such as the Social Shaping of Technology, Actor Network Theory, Philosophy, Neuroscience, Neurobiology, Child Development and Attachment theories with Transactional Analysis to understand human behaviour in a word of technology.

Previously working as a Relationship and S*x -Ed tutor and mentor she has been working with the issue of children and young people viewing P*rn for over 15 years, and is now consulting on this to help professionals feel 'less' embarrassed, shamed or shy when approaching this topic!

Oh and... and using Functional Medicine in her practice to really understand the body and trauma on a cellular (& DNA) level.

She is one of a kind in this field!

And just to top it off she is a qualified youth football coach and martial arts instructor, but no longer has time to do either of these. But she does have a great sleep hygiene 'protocol' in order to keep on top of all of the above.

I am a voice for children, young people and adults when they need it.

I am an Award winning, researcher and cyber awareness Online Harms Consultant, Trainer, Speaker, Author and a lot of my work is in clinic as a Child/Adult Trauma Psychotherapist where I use technology in sessions, mostly gaming apps and something called biofeedback, and I talk endlessly with children, young people and grown ups about what they do online and what problems they face.

I have helped and consulted with VR services such as (Spirit VR), Mental Health VR (MHVR), X reality, Safety Intelligence (XRSI) on the child safety Initiative, and two AI companies (Swayly and White Lens) that have developed apps to support children in their online interactions and help keep them safe, educated about online harm, change the information they interact with, get help and give them ways to report issues when they arise.

This means I know a lot about children, and their approach towards and relationship with technology.

I have specialised for 15 years in the difficult topic of child s*xual abuse and exploitation online, grooming, p*orn viewing by children and violent and graphic media viewing resulting in a number of research studies, one of which was my PhD.

I am an Engineer (mech/elec/elect) by trade training completed many moons ago in the Military and I have worked in technology, data protection, cybersecurity, information security and IT for a long time so I know a lot about this space too.

This is what makes me unique; having a foot in both arenas of; people and technology.

I’m at the very forefront of the knowledge we have about the connection between biology, neuroscience and technology, and how we can use this knowledge.

I hold courses, provide learning workshops and give keynotes about children and technology, including gaming and social media, po*nography viewing, and online harm. I cover not only the direct dangers of grooming and deception, but also the lesser-known dangers of hidden cyberbullying, eating disorders related to health advice, the effects of things seen and heard in the background when children are watching the adults use technology, I also educate on the harms of using voice enabled platforms or games, and so much more.

My PhD focused on children aged 7-10 who are suffering with cybertrauma and media trauma and how they communicated this with me through their drawings. This will be my next book for sure!

Found something helpful here? A blog post, presentation, podcast, video, article, or just a handy resource? If you'd like to say thanks, buying me a coffee helps fuel the next one (and keeps the ideas and caffeine flowing!). Buy me a coffee here.☕💛

National Cyber Awards Winner 2025

Thrilled to win the Cyber Awareness Award for the work I do about sharing cyber and online issues to the public.

The Real Cyber Awards Winner 2023

Won the Cyber Impact Award for my contributions to the online harms and Cyber industry.

I have known Cath for a number of years having first met her when she was leading a training session on cyber trauma. I was really impressed with the range, breadth and depth of knowledge that Cath had for the subject, as well as her ability to discuss complex issues in a way that anyone can understand with plenty of real examples to give impact. Cyber trauma and online harms is a continually developing area and the work I do in child protection relies on clear, up-to-date information from academics working in the field. Cath is always the first person I turn to for advice and guidance. Highly recommended for all your training and information needs.

Alan Mackenzie

E-Safety Adviser and Founding `Member of Association of Adult and Child Online Safety Specialists

I have known Cath for a number of years having first met her when she was leading a training session on cyber trauma. She subsequently helped me build coherent child-facing communications on our trial product Oyoty. I have been impressed with the hands-on guidance Cath provided for our project as well as her knowledge, passion and pursuit for impact in the domain of online wellbeing of children. Cyber trauma and online harms is a continually developing area and the work I do (in child protection)builds upon up-to-date research and guidance from academics as well as other actors closely working in the field. I highly recommended Cath for all your training and information needs.

Deepak Tewari

CEO of Privately and Founder of Oyoty (precursor to Own It App)

Join my Newsletter!

Get insights, tips and knowledge directly in your inbox. Stay informed about courses, training, books, and much more.

You can easily unsubscribe any time.