The GC+CISO Connection · 2026-01-13 · 11 min
This Christmas special takes a refreshing departure from typical GC+CISO content by exploring cyber safety through the lens of parenting and childhood digital habits. Sean Tooma uses his son Ryan as a co-host to discuss practical home security lessons: screen time management on iPads, the dangers of online chat features in games like Roblox, recognizing that people lie on the internet, and the importance of parental governance of children's device access. The episode frames cybersecurity principles - limiting exposure, controlling access points, verifying identity, and maintaining healthy skepticism - in terms any parent navigating their child's digital life will recognize. While light and humorous (featuring dad jokes and an Elf on the Shelf named Snickerdoodle who apparently records podcasts), the conversation translates core security concepts into household governance. This works well for parents seeking to apply security thinking to family device management, and for security professionals wanting accessible language to explain threat modeling and access control to non-technical audiences.
Too much screen time makes children cranky and addicted; limits are necessary governance to protect children's wellbeing, similar to how security teams control access to prevent system abuse.
Games like Roblox with chat features allow strangers to contact children while pretending to be friends; parents must control this access because the children cannot always distinguish real friends from bad actors.
Parents should teach children that people lie on the internet and that not everything they see should be believed, fostering healthy skepticism about online claims.
Parents must set boundaries, limit access, control which features are available, and monitor usage - but children must also buy into these restrictions for them to be effective.
Computed from the transcript - who did the talking, and the words that came up most.
In this special Christmas mini-episode, host Shawn Tuma is joined by his son, Ryan, for a candid conversation about cyber safety at home: screen-time limits, risky chats in games, not believing everything online, and why he doesn’t have his own YouTube channel - practical lessons that mirror how GCs and CISOs collaborate to govern risk at work. See how the same principles of governance, communication, and accountability that improve enterprise cyber resilience also protect our families online. Short, light, and useful - perfect for the holidays. Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!
Transcribed and scored by The B2B Podcast Index.
Speaker A: Since the late 90s, Sean Tooma has been working with legal departments and security teams at the intersection of law and technology. This has given him a unique perspective for how these important defenders work well together and do not work well together and what a difference that can make with how their organizations manage cyber risk. This led him to write a book called the GC CISO Connection to help start a dialogue and strengthen the partnership between the critically important roles. The next step is to bring together people who understand these roles to share their experiences and continue the dialogue. Because none of us have all the answers. It is through conversations like these that we can all improve how we work together to improve cyber resilience. This is the GCCISO Connection Show.
Speaker B: Hello and welcome to the GCCISO Connection Show. I'm your host, Shawn Tooma, and today we have a very special Christmas edition of the GCC SO Connection show that is being, uh, co hosted or guest, I don't know how we put that. With, uh, a very special guest, my son, Ryan Tuma. Ryan, welcome to the show.
Speaker C: Thank you.
Speaker B: So you excited to be here?
Speaker C: Very excited. I mean, it's a pleasure to be here.
Speaker B: It's a pleasure to be here.
Speaker C: This isn't Chick Fil A, but I know, I, I, I'm trying to fit in.
Speaker B: Okay. Okay. So that's okay. So Ryan came with me down, uh, to the studio today to, uh, while I was recording an episode of the podcast with another one of our guests, and he decided that he wanted to be on the show also. Right.
Speaker C: Yeah, I, um, just wanted to see, like, how this thing works. Like, the mics are very cool. I see we got your book there. These very cool mugs. Um, yeah, it's just very cool to, like, be here.
Speaker B: And it's a cool setup. So you have, um, there's something you've been asking me for, right, that you wanted me to make for you.
Speaker C: Oh, yeah?
Speaker B: What is that?
Speaker C: Um, if you're a kid, you probably all have been begging for it. Um, you probably get me, understand me? But I want a YouTube channel.
Speaker B: And what do you want a YouTube channel for?
Speaker C: I want to be famous, but I'm on this now, so.
Speaker B: So how would you be famous on a YouTube channel?
Speaker C: I don't know, give jokes. I don't know.
Speaker B: Joke. You know any jokes?
Speaker C: I got a million.
Speaker B: Well, let's hear one.
Speaker C: Okay. Uh, like, I got genders of it. Like, dad joke. Funny joke. Christmas joke.
Speaker B: How about a Christmas joke?
Speaker C: Christmas joke. Okay. Um, uh, oh, what is the candy that Santa gives to Mrs. Claus for Valentine's Day?
Speaker B: I don't know. What is it?
Speaker C: Sweet tarts.
Speaker B: Ah, uh, that's great. That's awesome. Great. Great joke. Okay, so you want a YouTube channel.
Speaker C: Yeah.
Speaker B: And Daddy won't let you have a YouTube channel.
Speaker C: Yeah.
Speaker B: Right.
Speaker C: Yeah.
Speaker B: You know why that is?
Speaker C: Because, um, people around the world are just like, weird, dangerous.
Speaker B: We have to control it. Right. Because. And so what does Daddy do? Like, what is it that I work with and that this book's about you work with?
Speaker C: Like AI, um, stuff like that.
Speaker B: AI? Cyber Security Protection. Like protecting against bad people.
Speaker C: Oh, uh, yes.
Speaker B: And so like, if I'm um. One of the things you really like is you like your iPad, right?
Speaker C: I mean, it gives me something to do when, like, I don't know, like something. It's like a rainy day. I like to do it, but sometimes I go, uh, a little way too far with it and I'm, I'm just like all napping, like I'm not gonna look at anything. Hey, I just got a Lamborghini. Hey, I just got something that costs a million dollars. Like I'm all into it.
Speaker B: And so, so what does mom and daddy do when we feel like you've been using it too much?
Speaker C: Take it away.
Speaker B: Yeah. We limit it. Right. Because it's not good for you to have too much screen time.
Speaker C: Yes. Too much can make one cranky kid.
Speaker B: Yeah. So one of the things that parents need to understand is that we need to limit our children's screen time. Right.
Speaker C: Like if someone's had it for like, I don't know, 30 minutes, the parents are probably, it's uh, probably a 10 out of 10 chance they're gonna say, hey, you want to go to the grocery store and give me some, I don't know, eggs or bacon for breakfast? Probably the closest thing you're probably gonna
Speaker B: say is, no, thanks, because you want to play on your iPad. Yeah. It's not like six or seven minutes, right?
Speaker C: I, ah, mean, probably not six or seven. Probably like 60 or 70.
Speaker B: Okay. So what's another thing, Another thing that mama and daddy won't let you do with your iPad?
Speaker C: Um, I don't know, what is it
Speaker B: like if there's a game you want to play and people are like talking?
Speaker C: Oh, yes. Like Roblox. Um, stuff like that. Yeah. Um, I do want to play one of those. But I mean, sometimes here and there I actually don't.
Speaker B: So you want to play the game and you want to chat with people, right?
Speaker C: I mean, no, I, I don't even really want to Want to chat? I just want to, like, play with my friends and stuff like that.
Speaker B: But we don't always know who our friends are. Like, sometimes people pretend they're our friends and they're not really our friends.
Speaker C: Right?
Speaker B: And sometimes they're bad people, and so it's up to Mommy and Daddy.
Speaker C: Oh, wait, I told you not to use that.
Speaker B: Wait, what am I supposed to say?
Speaker C: Like, father, mother, dad, Mom. I don't.
Speaker B: I can't say Mommy and Daddy.
Speaker C: Of course not.
Speaker B: Okay, so it's up to Mother and Father.
Speaker C: Yes.
Speaker B: Madre and padre.
Speaker C: That's way better.
Speaker B: It's up to us to, uh, govern your use of your iPad. To control how you use it. Right. To protect you. That's our job. But it's your job to want to do it, right?
Speaker C: Yeah.
Speaker B: So what else? Um. Have we ever talked about something like, um, not believing things you see on the Internet?
Speaker C: Like. What do you mean, not believing?
Speaker B: Like, that sometimes people lie.
Speaker C: People lie all the time. I mean, it's just, like, our personal thing. It's, like our hobby. Not really. Like a hobby.
Speaker B: No, that shouldn't be our hobby.
Speaker C: No, it. Like a. It's hard to explain, but, like a bad hobby. Like, a hobby that we don't like, but just sometimes we accidentally do it. So technically, it's not a hobby, like, or for that.
Speaker B: How about it's a. It's a bad trait of human nature. That's.
Speaker C: That's. Yeah, sure.
Speaker B: Is that better? Okay. Hey, um, tell me. You have an elf on the shelf, right?
Speaker C: Ah.
Speaker B: Is that one of those things you can't admit?
Speaker C: No, I can admit m. That, but, like, he's crazy. He does some things he shouldn't.
Speaker B: What's his name?
Speaker C: Snickerdoodle. Like, I just one day I thought, man, I haven't heard the word snickerdoodle in forever. I was like, why don't I name him that?
Speaker B: So, uh, what did he do this morning?
Speaker C: Oh, I. I actually didn't find him because. I don't know, I didn't see.
Speaker B: You didn't see Snickerdoodle today?
Speaker C: No. Did you?
Speaker B: I thought you saw him.
Speaker C: No, that was last night.
Speaker B: You didn't find him in Mama's study?
Speaker C: Oh, yeah, yeah, he did. Um, he had, like, a little microphone. He had, like, headphones on. He had a. He stole Mom's MacBook Pro. I'm pretty sure. Or is it an Apple?
Speaker B: What did his song say?
Speaker C: It said, like, stop recording in progress.
Speaker B: You think maybe he was recording a podcast this morning?
Speaker C: Probably.
Speaker B: Probably. So okay, um, what else is going on? What are we getting ready for?
Speaker C: Um, as you can see, my shirt is very. Tells the truth that Christmas is around the corner.
Speaker B: So what's so exciting? What are you getting ready for for Christmas?
Speaker C: Uh, Christmas?
Speaker B: No. We have any big plans? Anything fun?
Speaker C: We're gonna do presents. Presents.
Speaker B: That's it. All right. Hey, is there anything else you want to tell the people who are listening? Any jokes you want to tell anybody you want to give a shout out to?
Speaker C: A shout out to who?
Speaker B: I don't know. Who? You. You're the boss.
Speaker C: No, you are. You are.
Speaker B: Okay, well, you are for now.
Speaker C: Um, so I just want to say, um, thank you. Um, and Merry Christmas.
Speaker B: Thank you and Merry Christmas. Hey, I don't think we could find a better way to end it than that.
Speaker C: Uh, other than maybe, um, I might see with probably like six or seven years. Never know.
Speaker B: All right, well, you want to go ahead and close it out and tell the audience we're at the end and.
Speaker C: Yeah.
Speaker B: To come. Oh, Ron, you know how those videos you watch, they always tell them, like. Like. Like, and share and tune in. Like, how would you say that if this were your show?
Speaker C: Like, if it was.
Speaker B: Like, if you had your own YouTube channel, how would you. How would you close out the show? What would you tell.
Speaker C: I'd probably say, like. Like, and subscribe and hope you have a wonderful day.
Speaker B: Can you do that? Can you look at that camera right there and tell them m. That.
Speaker C: Okay, um, what do I say?
Speaker B: Like, it's your show.
Speaker C: Okay. Make sure to. Like. And make sure to watch more of those videos. Um, of, uh. What is. What is this?
Speaker B: The GCC connection show.
Speaker C: The g. What he said.
Speaker B: Just say the show.
Speaker C: This the show. Um, hope you have a wonderful day, and we'll tune in on next episode.
Speaker B: Okay, Great job. All right, thank you. That's all, folks.
Speaker C: Yep. Bye.
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