Talking to your child about how to stay safe online is super important. But it can be hard to know what to say. For help getting started, check out these essential online safety tips for kids to help protect them from cyber threats, scams, and online predators.
One of the best things you can do to keep your kids safe online is to make sure their social media accounts are all set to private. This minimizes the chances that personal information about them will fall into the wrong hands. It also decreases (but doesn’t totally eliminate) opportunities for strangers to contact them.
Pro tip: Regularly review privacy settings. Social media platforms frequently update their policies.
Children often share more than they realize on social media, including:
Teach your child to think before they post and avoid sharing anything that could compromise their safety.
Online predators often pose as friendly strangers. Teach your child:
While it’s generally not a good idea for kids to connect with people they don’t know online, there are some exceptions.
For example, maybe they’ve really clicked in the comments with a friend of a friend, and you’ve been able to vet them through mutual contacts. Or perhaps they have a marginalized identity but struggle to find a local community to connect with, so you’ve okayed something like TrevorSpace — and they hit it off with someone local.
If your child does make a friend online who they want to meet in-person, make sure they:
Encourage open conversations about online friendships and potential risks. Learn more about how to help your child make strong offline friendships.
Help your child come up with a plan for what to do if someone makes them uncomfortable online, such as:
Emphasize to your child the importance of thinking critically about what they come across online. Teach them digital literacy skills, such as:
Encouraging digital literacy helps kids avoid scams, manipulation, and misleading information.
The marketing of illegal substances on social media has increased in recent years. In fact, around 60% of teens have seen drug content on social media, and 10% report having purchased drugs through these platforms.
Talk to your child about the risks of drugs and why it’s important to never purchase substances online. Depending on their age and maturity level, you may also want to discuss how dealers use code words and emojis to target kids and why online substances are often laced with harmful ingredients.
Scammers don’t spare the youth. In fact, some online schemes specifically target children and teens. Warn your child against clicking on any links sent to them unless they are from a trusted source.
For example, scammers may target kids with phishing links disguised as:
Teach your child: “If you’re unsure, don’t click!”
With so much misinformation out there, teach your child to be part of the solution by checking their sources before they share something online.
Reposting a juicy bit of gossip can also go sideways real quick. Encourage them to take a beat before hitting share and ask themselves if it’s something they would want posted about them.
Parents play a vital role in teaching their kids how to stay safe online. By teaching smart digital habits, setting strong privacy settings, and using parental monitoring tools like BrightCanary, you can help protect your child from online dangers. Want detailed insights into your child’s online activity? BrightCanary helps parents monitor for potential risks on texts, social media, Google, and YouTube. Download the app and get started for free today.
