In 2011, Kristen got a devastating call from a friend.

Her friend's oldest son had sexually abused their younger children. And pornography was involved. Distraught, Kristen felt compelled to search online for resources to warn her friend’s younger children about the dangers of viewing pornography. Books. Worksheets. Courses. Anything to help this poor mother deal with the situation. She couldn’t find anything.

Kristen wanted to create a read-aloud book to help parents start the conversation with their kids.

As she began researching and talking to parents, she realized the need was even greater. But how do you write a book about pornography that is comfortable for parents, engaging for kids and never uses the word “sex”? Kristen got to work and every step of the way received feedback from parents, kids and mental health experts.

Along the way, she started blogging about all that she was learning–and that was the beginning of Defend Young Minds! After many drafts and 3 years of work, Good Pictures Bad Pictures was published and soon became a #1 bestseller on Amazon!

270,000

Books sold since 2014

We built a team working to defend young minds all over the world.

Once the books were released, Kristen joined forces with amazing people who believed in the same cause–educating children to reject pornography. She worked with artists, writers, therapists, and many others to help promote her books, translate materials to new languages, and develop new guides and courses helping families raise empowered, resilient screensmart kids.

Our Team

Kristen A. Jenson, MA

Kristen is the founder of Defend Young Minds and #1 best-selling author of Good Pictures Bad Pictures: Porn-Proofing Today’s Young Kids and Good Pictures Bad Pictures Jr.: A Simple Plan to Protect Young Minds and the Good Pictures Bad Pictures Guidebook for Counseling Kids: Therapeutic Interventions to Address Pornography Issues using Artistic, Didactic, and Kinesthetic Applications.  

Kristen is the CEO of Glen Cove Press LLC and the executive producer of the Brain Defense: Digital Safety curriculum. She is also a leader in the Safeguard Alliance of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. Kristen received her bachelor’s degree in English Literature and her master’s degree in Organizational Communication. She is a mother of three and grandmother of two, and currently lives with her husband and awfully cute dog in Washington State.

Julie Groff

Julie Groff is the Content Editor for Defend Young Minds. With a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and a minor in Psychology, she possesses a strong understanding of human behavior and the importance of fostering positive environments.

Julie is also a structured literacy reading tutor who empowers dyslexic children to unlock their reading potential. By merging her dedication to children's educational success and her passion for digital safety, Julie equips parents and children alike with the necessary resources to navigate the digital world securely.

Based in Tucson, AZ, Julie lives with her husband and four children. She finds solace in nature and enjoys escaping to the mountains. Paddleboarding and traveling are some of her hobbies.

Teri Harshberger

Teri Harshberger handles Shipping, Bulk Sales, and Bookkeeping at Defend Young Minds. She has a BA in Business Administration. She enjoys crafting, camping, cooking, decorating, reupholstering furniture and attempts to garden. She lives in Pasco, Washington with her husband, 3 kids and dog.

John Jenson

John Jenson is the Operations Manager at Defend Young Minds, among the many other hats he wears! He has been a software engineer for the past 30 years working on a variety of projects for companies large and small. He has worked to build medical equipment, satellite communications, CAD systems, and scientific test equipment. But he’ll tell you his most important work by far is helping Kristen and her team to help parents protect their children from the dangers of pornography.

Hannah Ungricht

Hannah Ungricht works as a freelance graphic designer in Washington.  She has a Bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University-Idaho and has worked with Defend Young Minds since 2016. She loves to use what she has learned there with her own family. Her greatest joys are being a wife, a mother to 2 beautiful children and 1 adorable puppy, and spending her evenings sipping on diet coke.

Evan MacDonald

Evan MacDonald is a designer and director with over 10 years of experience working with brands large and small including Nike, Gatorade, NBC Universal Studios, Panasonic, Microsoft, and many others. Evan has a passion for typography, branding, content, and storytelling. Evan along with his wife and four daughters enjoy traveling and living in far-off lands.

Our Vision

We envision a world where caring adults empower young children with the information, skills and mindsets they need to defend themselves against pornography and reject all forms of sexual exploitation. In this way kids can grow up unburdened by addiction and objectification to enjoy healthy relationships and successful lives.

Our Mission

We educate, encourage and equip parents, professionals and community leaders to defend young minds from the harms of pornography. We are devoted to developing excellent tools, including books, curriculum, articles, guides, courses and communities, to help raise empowered, resilient, screen-smart kids.

Books sold in

11 languages & 20 countries