Teodora Pavkovic - Psychologist & Parenting Coach

Teodora Pavkovic - Psychologist & Parenting Coach Children's online safety and digital wellbeing expert.

My mission is to educate, engage and empower children and adults, communities and organizations, by helping them become emotionally smart and digitally well. I am currently the Director of Community Engagement at Linewize by Family Zone, where I oversee our parent education programs in the US and abroad. Prior to joining Linewize, I coached and consulted with a diverse group of international clien

ts, ranging from parent groups and small non-profits, all the way to bigger brands and organizations. I also frequently spoke at conferences, on expert panels and webinars, as well as podcasts and documentaries, and have been cited in numerous publications such as NBC News and Huffington Post. On a personal note, I belong to the tribe of Third Culture Kids, and have lived in 9 countries spanning 3 continents, so far.

If you've worked hard for something and really wanted it, but that wasn't enough to actually get it - I see you. And, bo...
03/06/2026

If you've worked hard for something and really wanted it, but that wasn't enough to actually get it - I see you. And, boy, do I feel you today.

On this day last year, I was preparing for my first time presenting at . My session was titled: "Keeping kids safe online: The imperative of parent education."

I was beyond grateful to be there, and by the end of the conference I could say without a doubt that it was one of the best professional, personal, and educational experiences of my life.

I concluded that presentation by pointing to an emerging online safety trend [read: risk] - children's use of AI companion bots - and l was lucky enough to be selected to present again this year, on the topic of: "The new imaginary friend: Children & their AI companions."

As many of you can imagine, I have a lot to say on this topic, and I couldn't wait to share my thoughts with the amazing audience in Austin next week.

Sadly and heartbreakingly, though, I have been prevented from attending SXSWEDU this year. Why is a story for another post.

I wanted to say thank you to all of you who had voted for my session proposal, and to the SXSWEDU advisory board and staff.

People coming together is most important at times like these, so I know the event will be extra special this year.

I *will* see you again, Austin.

In the meantime, focusing on the positive means enjoying the awakening of springtime in Europe, my disco boots that have helped me deal with loss before, and music❤️‍🩹

Well, it's happening - headin' off to Austin to present on "The New Imaginary Friend: Children & Their AI Companions."Ma...
01/19/2026

Well, it's happening - headin' off to Austin to present on "The New Imaginary Friend: Children & Their AI Companions."

March 10th @ 4:30pm CT | The Westin Austin Downtown

Beyond excited, and so very grateful for all of you who voted🫶

If you're attending, please reach out - would love to meet up and speak with amazing educators about and .

See you in Austin!

https://schedule.sxswedu.com/events/PP1161987

September is ***dePreventionMonth in the United States, and this important topic will receive global attention on Sep...
09/08/2025

September is ***dePreventionMonth in the United States, and this important topic will receive global attention on September 10th - ***dePreventionDay.

Raising awareness about the struggle of those who have lost all hope in life is deeply personal to me - and I'm sure it is for many of you as well.

For the second year in a row, I am participating in the community walk on O'ahu and raising money for the American Foundation for Su***de Prevention - please click on the link below to support this important work and help me *surpass* my funding goal.

Thank you💚

https://afspwalks.donordrive.com/participants/Teodora-Pavkovic-2025

Stories - and fears - about children and suddenly seem to be everywhere, making it seem as though kids just picked thi...
08/14/2025

Stories - and fears - about children and suddenly seem to be everywhere, making it seem as though kids just picked this new habit up yesterday.

But they didn't.

I've been tracking this trend since early 2024, when publications like The Verge and the BBC first started writing about platforms like Character.ai, and the "friends" and "therapists" teens were starting to form bonds with in these virtual spaces.

Through my own work on , I have witnessed firsthand how this last year ushered in a new concern for districts: students using companion bots to engage in sexually explicit conversations.

So now we're in a spot where young people have already been using these technologies for a good amount of time, and the questions we urgently need answers to are:

• How exactly are K12 students using these tools?
• What deeper needs do these bots fulfill?
• How do we provide guidance and support to youth and their families to ensure safe and beneficial use?

These are the questions I'll be addressing in my 2026 presentation, if you help me make it to Austin next year!

My session is titled:
"The New Imaginary Friend: Children and their AI Companions"

Please take a minute - it will literally take you that long - to cast your vote and help me bring these important insights to thousands of educators from the United States and around the world.

Thank you!🤠

https://participate.sxsw.com/flow/sxsw/sxsw26/community-voting-edu/page/community-voting/session/1753337732902001R2q2

Playing catch-up with is an exhausting, yet familiar sport, especially when it comes to navigating and .We still ha...
06/18/2025

Playing catch-up with is an exhausting, yet familiar sport, especially when it comes to navigating and .

We still have so many questions about how , , services and other modern technologies impact , and now… we have to think about too.

It’s too soon to tell how the various forms of AI will shape children’s identity, social intelligence, intellect, and views of the world, but it’s the perfect time to delve deep into these questions.

I’m so thrilled for the opportunity to do just that at this year’s international scientific congress in D.C., as part of an amazing panel titled:

“Guinea pigs or pioneers? The Risks and Rewards of an AI Mediated Childhood”

I can’t wait to share my own insights on children’s developing relationship with AI, but also learn from some of the leading researchers and experts in this space.

There’s still some time to register and join us!

childrenandscreens.org

We did it!🙌I’m so grateful to everyone who helped me bring this vitally important topic to the stage this year.On Thu M...
02/20/2025

We did it!🙌

I’m so grateful to everyone who helped me bring this vitally important topic to the stage this year.

On Thu March 6th @ noon I’ll be speaking about “Keeping kids safe online: The imperative of parent education.”

The organizers generously gifted me with a platinum pass to attend as well, so I’ll be hanging around for a few extra days after wraps to see some of the amazing sessions they’re putting on.

See y’all in Austin!🤠

https://schedule.sxswedu.com/2025/events/PP153981

Join Me in Supporting the American Foundation for Su***de Prevention💙Raising awareness about the struggle of those who h...
09/11/2024

Join Me in Supporting the American Foundation for Su***de Prevention💙

Raising awareness about the struggle of those who have lost all hope in life is deeply personal to me - and I know it is for many of you as well.

I know what it’s like to go back and wonder: “How could I not have seen it?” or think: “I should have said or done something, anything.” Or to ask yourself a million times over: “Why?”

At some point, we are all faced with the realization that however strong our pain is, it was infinitely worse for those we knew and loved. When the weight of that realization hits us, we have to harness its power to help others who may be suffering in the same way right now.

I am joining hundreds of thousands of people across the United States who are walking in the “Out of the Darkness” Community Walks to prevent su***de and support AFSP’s mission to save lives and bring hope to those affected by su***de.

Please help me reach my fundraising goal by heading over to https://supporting.afsp.org/participant/Teodora-Pavkovic and clicking the “Donate” button.

All donations are 100% tax deductible and benefit the work of the AFSP by funding research, promoting education and advocacy, and supporting those affected by su***de.

Thank you so much for caring, and for your generous support💕

If you are struggling right now, call 988 to speak with someone today.

Taking part in SXSW/EDU has been one of those goals that forever seems to be too distant to actually be reached, until t...
08/18/2024

Taking part in SXSW/EDU has been one of those goals that forever seems to be too distant to actually be reached, until this year, when I finally thought - OK let’s just do this!

My session is titled: “Keeping Kids Safe Online: The imperative of Parent Education,” and I chose to focus on this topic because I’ve never been more confident in the fact that we simply cannot keep children safe and well online unless we involve their caregivers in the right way.

And I really want the amazing audience in Austin to hear this message at 2025.

There’s not much time left to vote, so I would appreciate it SO much if you headed over here to up-vote my session today: http://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/153981.

Thank you!⭐️

Excerpt from the support letter, signed by over 200 organizations on November 8th 2023:“Overall, youth have been faced...
11/09/2023

Excerpt from the support letter, signed by over 200 organizations on November 8th 2023:

“Overall, youth have been faced with a growing mental health crisis in recent years.

For instance, depression rates for teens doubled between 2009 and 2019. This is happening at a time when su***de is the second leading cause of death for U.S. youth, with one in five teens considering su***de during the pandemic, and eating disorder emergency room admissions for teen girls 12- to 17-years- old doubling since 2019.

While declines in youth mental health are attributable to numerous factors, the growing use of social media platforms designed in ways that increase exposure to harmful content and encourage unhealthy patterns of use have contributed to these trends.

The Kids Online Safety Act seeks to hold social media companies accountable after their repeated failures to protect children and adolescents from the practices that make their platforms more harmful.“

Among the signatories:


Reach out to your Senators today to get their support✍️

For anyone who draws more joy than stress from gift-giving, this is THE most wonderful time of the year🎁Buying presents ...
12/07/2022

For anyone who draws more joy than stress from gift-giving, this is THE most wonderful time of the year🎁

Buying presents for others is one of the most feel-good activities I can think of - I love *every* second of it, and I have research on my side to say that my gifting fanaticism is not only OK, but healthy.

Science tells us that being generous with others improves our wellbeing and even makes our outlook on life much more positive.

Also, research has shown that as naturally self-centered beings, it’s always a good idea to shift our focus away from ourselves and onto another person’s sense of joy, meaning and pleasure.

Even though I think I do a good job of buying meaningful gifts, I always want to do better, and these 3 questions I recently came across are *definitely* the way to do it.

I love them all, but the last one is pure gold: “Can I make them feel seen?”

What a beautiful notion to guide you this holiday season.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!

•

Taken from a recent piece titled “How to become a truly excellent gift giver,” by Eliza Brooke

•

How far back does your knowledge go?🤓I started noticing about a decade or so ago, that people of my generation - and y...
11/30/2022

How far back does your knowledge go?🤓

I started noticing about a decade or so ago, that people of my generation - and younger - were less and less aware of who came [well] before their time.

And now that our dancing feet are firmly planted in the age of hyper-personalized , I see that many young people’s musical [and other] horizons continue to narrow even further.

As someone who grew up in a household where music > air + water, I honestly can’t handle this tragic turn of events😫

So, I’ve decided to have some fun on Instagram this holiday season, and share 1 fabulous song each day during the month of December🎶

A lil’ gift from me to you🎁

Note: The songs I’ve chosen are important for 1 or more of the following reasons:
1. Who sang and/or wrote it
2. The song’s theme/message
3. Its historical context
4. How it can make you feel

We start in a couple of days - see you then people!👩🏻‍🎤

P.S. challenges are irritating to no end, so this is more of an ask: please have a listen to each if you don’t know it, and if you have kiddos, pleeeease have a listen together💞

P.P.S. Musical tastes are highly personal, and so too will be this list🫶

“Halloween rituals turn horror into play, death into levity, gore into laughter.”Dacher Keltner, •As a psychologist, I l...
10/31/2022

“Halloween rituals turn horror into play, death into levity, gore into laughter.”
Dacher Keltner,

•

As a psychologist, I love digging deeper (pun unintended) to understand why humans do what we do.

One behavior that has always fascinated me is that of the grieving ritual. How different communities understand and accept death, what their burial practices are, and what range of emotions they weave into this process - I’ve always been curious about these questions.

Those who know me *really* well also know that as a result of this, I have a special affinity towards cemeteries. But more about that some other time, perhaps.

•

I was pretty excited to see that the Greater Good Science Center chose to publish a piece on this very topic for (linked in my bio). It has some fantastic insights, which inspired me to create these fun and, hopefully, thought-provoking graphics.

Happy Halloween and Día de los Mu***os everyone🌹🖤

•

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