Safe on Social

Affectionately known as the ‘queen of common sense,’ Maggie Dent is one of Australia’s most trusted and beloved voices on parenting, resilience, and child wellbeing. Across more than two decades, she has built a rare kind of public influence — one rooted not in celebrity, but in genuine expertise, deep empathy, and an extraordinary ability to meet families exactly where they are.

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Her professional life has spanned secondary teaching, counseling, palliative care, funeral work, and suicide prevention — a breadth of human experience that underpins everything she does. She is a passionate, positive voice for children of all ages, and an undisputed champion for boys. Her particular areas of focus are the early years, adolescence, and the building of resilience in children and the communities that raise them.

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Maggie is the author of 11 major books, the host of the podcast ‘The Good Enough Dad,’ and hosted six seasons of the award-winning ABC podcast ‘Parental As Anything.’ In 2025, she starred in the genre-bending ABC TV series ‘The Role of a Lifetime.’ In 2026, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Wollongong for her service to children, families, and communities.

A founding member of the Ctrl+Shft online safety and wellbeing coalition and an advisor to Safe on Social, Maggie brings her unmatched reach, credibility, and voice to one of the most urgent challenges facing families today: protecting children in a digital world that was not designed with their safety in mind.

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Areas of Focus

• Parenting, Resilience & Child Development — Practical, evidence-informed guidance for parents across the early years and adolescence — building resilience, emotional regulation, and connection in children and families.
   

• Boys’ Education & Wellbeing — Australia’s pre-eminent champion for boys — addressing the developmental, emotional, and social needs of boys and young men with warmth, authority, and nuance.
   

• Adolescence & Teen Mental Health — Supporting parents, educators, and communities to navigate the complexity of modern adolescence — including anxiety, identity, social pressure, and the impact of digital technology.
   

• Screen Time, Digital Safety & Online Harm — Educating families on the risks and realities of children’s digital lives — from screen dependency and social media misuse to online grooming, sextortion, and digital wellbeing.
   

• Public Speaking & Professional Education — Keynote and conference presenter to parent, educator, health, and community audiences across Australia and internationally — consistently transforming complex issues into warm, practical, actionable insight.
   

• Child Advocacy & Community Change — Sustained commitment to advocacy across organizations including Telethon, The Kids Research Institute, The Fathering Project, The Humpty Dumpty Foundation, and the Gotcha4Life Foundation.

 

Advisor — Safe on Social & Ctrl+Shft

As a founding member of the Ctrl+Shft online safety and wellbeing coalition and an advisor to Safe on Social, Maggie brings her national platform and deep parenting expertise to the frontline of digital child protection.
 

In 2026, Maggie co-authored Digital Freedom: A Guide to Less Screen Time for Safer, Happier and Healthier Families with Kirra Pendergast — a landmark collaboration that bridges the warmth and accessibility of Maggie’s parenting voice with Kirra’s frontline expertise in online safety. The book brings practical, family-ready guidance to one of the defining challenges of modern parenthood.

Maggie’s role extends beyond authorship. Her advocacy, media presence, and community reach give Safe on Social and Ctrl+Shft a trusted, recognizable voice that resonates with the parents, educators, and families these organizations exist to serve.
 

Selected Published Works

• Digital Freedom — Co-authored with Kirra Pendergast. A guide to less screen time for safer, happier and healthier families. (2026)

• Help Me Help My Teen — Supporting our teens through tough times. (2024)

• Girlhood — Raising our little girls to be healthy, happy and heard. (2022)

• Parental As Anything — Based on the award-winning ABC podcast. (2021)

• From Boys to Men — Bestselling guide to raising healthy, resilient boys and young men.

• Mothering Our Boys — Bestselling guide for mothers navigating raising sons.

• Plus five additional major titles, multiple e-books, and a prolific catalogue of resources for parents, educators, and early childhood professionals.

 

Media & Platforms

• ABC TV — The Role of a Lifetime — Starred in the 2025 ABC TV series exploring the challenges of parenting modern tweens and teenagers.

• Parental As Anything — ABC Podcast — Hosted six award-winning seasons of one of Australia’s most listened-to parenting podcasts. Also released as a book in 2021.

• The Good Enough Dad — Podcast — Current podcast host, continuing Maggie’s signature warm and practical approach to modern parenting.

• National Media — Regularly featured across commercial and ABC radio, national television, and major parenting platforms and publications.

 

Qualifications & Recognition

• Honorary Doctorate — University of Wollongong, 2026 — awarded for service to children, families, and communities.

• Bachelor of Arts — Majoring in Psychology and English.

• Diploma of Education — Secondary teaching qualification.

• Diploma of Counseling — Professional counseling practice.

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