Is your kid as obsessed with Nintendo Switch as mine is? Maybe they’re always asking to play online with friends. If so, you might be wondering about Nintendo Switch parental controls and other measures to keep your child safe while playing. Read on to learn how to help your child enjoy Nintendo Switch safely.
Nintendo Switch is a three-in-one gaming system which has standard console play, portable console play, and the ability to turn into a handheld device. Switch users can also play together online.
Here’s how it all breaks down:
Around 8 years old is a good benchmark to start playing Switch. However, it also depends on your child’s maturity level, ability to take care of an expensive system, and willingness to follow your safety rules — like only playing games you allow and not talking to strangers online.
With that said, the Nintendo Switch has a wide variety of games appropriate for kids of all ages. (Adults, too! I think my husband is more obsessed with our Switch than our son.) Check the recommended age range before your child begins playing a new game, and consider playing it yourself or watching them play.
Video games have come a long way since you were a kid. Fortunately, so have parental controls. To set parental controls, first download the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app to your mobile device. Follow the prompts to connect your account to your Switch.
Here’s how to keep your kid safe on Nintendo Switch:
Nintendo Switch Online introduces additional concerns because of the ability to play and communicate with other users, including strangers.
Luckily, you can use the Parental Controls app to safeguard this aspect as well. The Child and Pre-Teen content restriction levels prevent your kid from using voice chat and sending messages and images to other players.
If you prefer not to rely on the preset age ranges, there are several customization options:
Through the Parental Controls app, you can also:
If your child gets really into a game, they might seek out more information on it, like watching video game playthroughs on YouTube or Googling game tips. These are fun, but could expose your kid to language and content you may not be comfortable with.
Use BrightCanary to supervise your child’s activity on YouTube, Google, and other platforms. It’s the perfect companion to the Switch’s parental controls because it covers the other websites and apps your child is most likely to use.
Nintendo Switch is not without risk, but by utilizing parental controls and talking to your child about how to stay safe, it can be a fun gaming experience for kids.
Does the very idea that your teenager might be addicted to porn and that you might have to actually do something about it cause you to freeze in terror and want to run for the hills? Same! It’s a tricky subject. But information is the first step, and we’re here for you on that. Read on to learn more about teens addicted to porn, signs of porn addiction, and how you can talk to your teen about it.
The term addiction gets thrown around loosely in our culture. Think of how many times you’ve heard or uttered the phrase, “Oh my god, I’m so addicted to [fill in the blank].”
True addiction, however, is more than just an intense interest in something. It’s a medical condition in which an individual feels compelled to continue their behavior, despite the fact that doing so might cause harm.
Research suggests that addiction alters the body’s dopamine system and causes changes to the brain, activating regions associated with motivation and reward.
Porn addiction isn’t officially recognized as a distinct disorder, and the diagnosis is highly controversial. Some experts point to issues with study design and bias, and others argue that the very idea of pornography addiction is rooted in outdated and potentially harmful cultural norms.
However, it is well established that people can become addicted to behaviors, and other disorders related to excessive internet use are officially recognized. Add to that the fact that impulsivity is a common trait in children due to their developing brains, and it’s easy to see how pornography use could become problematic for teens — whether or not it rises to the level of actual addiction.
Because there isn’t an established set of diagnostic criteria for porn addiction, it’s difficult to accurately quantify how common it is among teens. But available research estimates anywhere from around 3–10% of teens may be addicted to porn.
Because of a lack of standardized measures for porn addiction, parents should view any potential signs in context of your teen’s overall mental health. When deciding how to respond, it’s important to decide if the behavior reaches a level of concern, given your family’s values, and if the behavior causes significant negative impacts on other areas of your child’s life.
That being said, here are some possible signs of porn addiction in teens:
The internet has made pornography a commonplace and widely accepted part of mainstream culture, and it’s now cheap and easy for individuals to discreetly consume explicit content. Studies have shown that viewing porn is deeply entwined with people’s sense of their own sexuality and can shape expectations for future intimate relationships.
In particular, pornography may create unrealistic beliefs and attitudes about sex and lead adolescents to expect that what they see in pornography will be reflected in future real-world sexual experiences. Research also suggests a link between consuming porn and an increase in acceptance and indifference to rape.
If you suspect your child’s relationship with pornography may be unhealthy, here are some tips for talking to them about it:
While the concept of pornography addiction remains hotly debated among professionals, it’s nevertheless vital that parents help their teens develop a healthy relationship to sexuality. That includes monitoring their online activity for problematic consumption of adult material.
Monitoring your child’s screen time is a vital part of modern parenthood. From keeping tabs on how long they spend on their device to what apps they use, Apple Screen Time is a great tool to set limits and restrict certain activities. Is Apple Screen Time not working for your family? Apple parental controls aren’t foolproof, and they can fall short when it comes to monitoring what your child does online. We break down common complaints and new ways to keep your kiddo safe online.
Apple Screen Time is a free, built-in tool on iOS devices, including iPhones and iPads. It’s helpful for managing several elements of your child’s screen time, including:
Apple’s Screen Time is simple and easy to use. You’ll need to set up Family Sharing first, which adds your child to your account. Go to Settings > Your name > Family Sharing, then follow the prompts to add your child as a family member.
You’ll want to set a Screen Time passcode so your child can’t easily get past their screen time limits. Under Screen Time, you’ll find settings to adjust your child’s downtime, app limits, and more.
We recommend setting limits in conversation with your child, if appropriate. For example, explain why it’s important to limit screen time before bed. Using screens too close to bed negatively impacts sleep. Setting your child’s Downtime to start at least one hour prior to their bedtime helps them get the rest they need.
Apple Screen Time not working? As great as this feature is, it has its fair share of bugs. Read on for troubleshooting tips.
If you notice the app limits you set for your child disappear after awhile, try these steps to get them to stick:
Kids are smart. Where there’s a will, there’s often a way. Here are two ways parents have reported their child evading Screen Time limits and how to fix them:
Screen Time doesn’t work when the phone is on a 24-hour clock. You can block your child from changing the clock format with these steps:
When a device hits its Screen Time limit, kids can hit the One More Minute button three times, after which the limit is disabled for the day. This only happens when a user is over the age of 13, so if you have a younger child, make sure their age is set correctly on the device.
In order to prevent your child from turning off Screen Time, you must set a Screen Time passcode. You’ll be prompted to do this when you first set up Family Sharing, but if you neglected to do it then, you can add one later.
Make sure to enter your Apple ID when prompted so you can use it to recover your password if you forget it. If you do forget your Screen Time password, simply click on Change Screen Time Passcode, then select Forgot Passcode and follow the prompts to reset it.
While Apple Screen time is useful for setting limits, it falls short when it comes to providing parents with visibility into the content their child encounters online. For example, while Apple Screen Time allows you to limit how much time your child spends on Instagram, you won’t be able to supervise who they follow or what appears on their feed.
Screen Time will only show you the amount of time your child spends on a particular social media app or website, but not the content they consume or the messages they send. For that level of monitoring, you’d need to look at their social feeds manually, or use a third-party child safety app like BrightCanary.
Apple Screen Time shows you how much time your child spends on messages and the number of notifications they receive, but doesn’t provide any insight into the messages themselves. BrightCanary, on the other hand, can monitor the content of your child’s texts and show you what your child sends and receives.
BrightCanary is the perfect complement to Apple Screen Time and can help fill in critical gaps. This child safety app uses AI technology to monitor your child’s digital activity, such as their social media feeds, YouTube and Google searches, and text messages. In addition to regular reports, BrightCanary alerts you when your child encounters anything concerning, like inappropriate messages or explicit searches.
To keep your child safe online, it’s important to combine the device usage limits of Apple’s Screen Time with content monitoring. BrightCanary is an essential tool for ensuring your child’s safety on Apple devices — download on the App Store to start your free trial.
When weighing the pros and cons of getting their child a phone, some families just throw up their hands and declare they’re better off waiting until their child is in high school. Or college. Or never.
Between including the perils of social media, the toxicity of group text threads, and the risk of online predators, abstaining from getting your child a phone is a perfectly valid choice. But when you throw things like two working parents, after school activities, and driver’s licenses into the mix, it can be easy to see why the no-phone route might not work for every family.
If you’re looking to get your child their first device, but aren’t ready to do the smartphone thing just yet, it might be time to consider the humble flip phone for kids.
Absolutely. Flip phones have been dubbed “dumb phones” in a nod to their more high-tech counterpart, the smartphone, but don’t write off these simple devices as mere relics of the past.
The humble flip phone is making a comeback, meaning not only are there plenty of great options to choose from, but you may even be able to convince your kid that it’s actually cool.
On average, kids get their first phone at 11.6 years old. But average may not be right for your child. When weighing what age your kid should get a phone, it’s important to consider your family’s unique circumstances.
For example, if your child walks home from school by themselves or babysits younger siblings after school, they may need a phone sooner than a peer who gets picked up everyday by a parent.
While it’s a good idea to delay giving kids devices, you should opt for whatever works best for your family’s needs.
Like the age question, the best starter phone for your child depends on a few factors. For younger kids, especially ones who aren’t ready for social media yet, a simple flip phone with only texting and calling capabilities is a great way to keep in touch with parents or use in an emergency.
On the other hand, a teen who’s just started driving might need access to navigation apps, and you might want the ability to track them using GPS. Some families even choose to give their child a smartwatch as a starter device so they can text their parents and make short phone calls to approved contacts.
You might decide what your child is ready for now, and then upgrade them as they age and their needs grow. This is a good strategy for gradually increasing their communication freedom and responsibility.
With so many flip phones out there, it can be hard to know which one is right for your child. Here are a few solid options to choose from.
If you’re looking for a simple phone for your child, you can’t get much simpler than the Nokia 2780. While this phone is able to connect to the internet, you can turn off WiFi and mobile internet or call your provider to have the feature disabled.
Although the Jitterbug Flip 2 is marketed for seniors, the GPS tracking, emergency response feature, and agents who can help look up directions make it a solid choice for kids as well.
If you’re interested in a prepaid phone for your child, consider the Tracfone TCL Flip 2. Like the Nokia 2780, it stands out for its simplicity, but the camera quality is better on the Tracfone.
Although it’s on the pricier end, the Kyocera DuraXV Extreme is virtually indestructible. If your kid tends to drop their stuff, you might save yourself money in the long run by getting them a phone that won’t need replacing because they break it.
Getting your child a phone can help with communication and safety. If they’re not ready for a smartphone yet, flip phones are a great, minimalist option for kids who are just getting introduced to the responsibilities of having their own device.
While scrolling through the endless streaming options in search of a fun show to watch with your kids, you might have landed on Bob’s Burgers. At first glance, this cartoon about a family who runs a burger joint might seem like the perfect family viewing experience. But just because it’s animated, doesn’t mean it’s child-appropriate. So, is Bob’s Burgers for kids? Read on for our take on if this popular show is appropriate for children.
Bob’s Burgers is a satirical, animated sitcom from Fox centered around the Belcher family. Bob Belcher, a third-generation restaurateur, runs his burger shop along with the help of his wife and their three kids.
Although initially met with mixed reviews, the show has since grown in popularity, earning multiple Emmys and being named one of the 60 greatest TV cartoons of all time by TV Guide. Bob’s Burgers is known for its irreverent humor and has been compared to the likes of The Simpsons.
Bob’s Burgers is rated TV-PG. According to the TV Parental Guidelines rating system, that rating indicates the show “contains material that parents may find unsuitable for younger children” and suggests that “many parents may want to watch it with their younger children.” Common Sense Media rates Bob’s Burgers as appropriate for ages 13+.
While not heavy on four-letter-words (although they do occasionally come up), the language in Bob’s Burgers isn’t squeaky clean. It includes frequent use of words like “damn,” “hell,” and “bastard,” along with crude references to body parts, fluids, and functions.
Any sex and nudity in Bob’s Burgers is fairly mild and mostly involves suggestion and innuendo. There are some dirty jokes, including use of the words penis and vagina, and in one episode, the Belchers visit a town full of old swingers. With the exception of a few instances of mooning where characters’ bare butts are shown, other nudity is merely suggested. For example, season three features a nude beach, but it’s animated in such a way that, while people are naked, no explicit body parts are shown.
Aside from some pretty run-of-the-mill slapping and pushing between siblings, Bob’s Burgers doesn’t have violence to speak of. Any instances of blood and gore are done for comedic value and are not especially graphic. For example, in an episode where Bob gets stitches, blood splatters on the car window and Bob’s wife Linda’s face on the ride home, but it’s clearly meant for humor. Violent, adult topics are discussed, though, including cannibalism, murder, and jokes about child molestation.
If you’re looking for a family show filled with uplifting messages and heartwarming plots, Bob’s Burgers probably isn’t for you. The characters at times behave in ways some viewers might find negative, such as mocking each other and spreading rumors. The humor is often crass and includes jokes about sexual abuse, disabilities, and other sensitive topics.
Despite being animated, Bob’s Burgers is an adult show filled with irreverent humor and mature themes. While most teens should be able to grasp the satire, it’s not particularly appropriate for younger kids who may take the humor at face value.
If you notice your child looking up Bob’s Burgers clips on YouTube or social media, talk to them about their experience with the show. You can supervise your child’s online activity with BrightCanary. The app’s advanced technology scans your child’s activity and messages, alerting you when they encounter something concerning. While BrightCanary doesn’t yet cover streaming services where your child might encounter Bob’s Burgers, the app provides the most coverage across Apple devices and online platforms where children are most at risk. Download the app and get a free trial today.
Sleep. That precious thing most parents don’t get enough of. Sleep can impact everything from brain performance, to mood, to mental and physical health. Our children aren’t getting enough sleep, either, and screens are one of the prime suspects. But how does screen time affect sleep?
To help you get a handle on how screen time may be messing with your child’s shut-eye, here’s a rundown on how screens impact sleep, the negative consequences of too little sleep, and what you can do to help your kid get more Zzzs.
You know sleep is important, but just how many hours are enough for your child? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, here is how much sleep to aim for, based on your child’s age:
Not getting enough sleep can impact kids in a variety of ways, including:
The relationship between mental health and sleep goes both ways. Not only can poor sleep lead to issues like depression and anxiety, but having mental health problems in the first place can also negatively impact sleep.
Lack of sleep has been shown to cause impulsivity, stress, and aggressive behavior. It can also negatively impact your child’s ability to behave positively in social environments, like impairing their ability to solve conflict.
Studies have shown that children who get insufficient sleep also have impaired cognitive functions such as decision-making, working memory, and learning.
Poor sleep may contribute to growth issues and increased frequency of illnesses.
Studies have overwhelmingly shown a negative association between screen use and sleep. Here are some of the ways that screen time may impact your child’s sleep:
A study reported in the journal Child Psychiatry & Human Development found associations between electronic media use and anxiety and depression in young people, although the direction of causality in their study remains unclear. Given the way mental health and sleep are intertwined, it’s certainly worth taking notice.
You can’t sleep while scrolling on TikTok because you lose track of time. Similarly, many kids fail to get to sleep at a decent hour because they’re up too late on their devices.
Screens, including their much-maligned blue light, can not only impact your child’s ability to fall asleep, but they can also negatively impact sleep quality. In addition, studies have shown that use of interactive screen-media, such as video games and mobile devices, can cause your child to wake up in the middle of the night.
Screen addiction is a non-diagnostic term that is thrown around perhaps a bit too casually. However, a newly recognized disorder known as Internet Gaming Disorder (ISG) has been linked to sleep problems.
For parents worried about their children’s slumber, the good news is there are effective strategies to minimize the negative impact that screens have on your kid’s sleep.
Some tips:
Use of screens contributes to poor sleep, which can have negative consequences for your child. By encouraging healthier bedtime habits, you can minimize the impact screens have on your child’s sleep.
In a surprising resurgence of the platform’s cool factor, Pinterest use is up among teens. Gen Zers are using the website as a canvas for self-expression and exploration. Read on to learn more about how to keep your child safe on the site with Pinterest parental controls.
Pinterest describes itself as “a visual discovery engine for finding ideas.” Users save “Pins” of images or videos to virtual boards. They can record live videos and take photos right in the app, or save images found elsewhere on the internet as Pins.
Many kids come to Pinterest to find inspiration and share ideas around a hobby or interest. Teens are more likely than their adult counterparts to create Pins of things they’ve made and their outfits. Kids also use it to connect with others around common interests, such as books, beauty, or fashion.
Pinterest allows users to interact with each other through comments, direct messages, and shared boards. Although Pinterest may seem relatively tame in comparison to TikTok or Snapchat, parents should take the same precautions as they do with other social media sites.
Here are some ways people might interact with your child on Pinterest:
Just like any social media site, there are risks parents need to be aware of. In 2023, NBC News reported that adult men were using Pinterest to create boards with pictures of young girls and teenagers. The platform responded by rolling out a suite of new Pinterest parental controls, which we’ll discuss below.
Aside from online predators, Pinterest can also expose your child to content that promotes negative body image, negative self-esteem, and even suicidal thoughts. Like other websites, Pinterest uses an algorithm to recommend content based on what your child searches and the pins they click. Research shows that excessive social media use can make kids feel bad about themselves, so it’s important to talk to your child about the content on their feed and limit the time they spend on social media — including Pinterest.
Exposure to inappropriate content is also a risk on Pinterest. Pins can lead kids to websites with explicit content, misinformation, and just plain spam, solely because they clicked a pin that caught their attention.
There are also plenty of positive reasons to let your child use Pinterest, with guardrails.
For example, Pinterest can be a great source of inspiration, creative expression, and connection because users have the ability to dive deeper into their interests. Plus, Pinterest is full of tutorials that can help kids learn new skills, like cooking and coding.
Pinterest can even foster a boost of positivity. Recent research from Pinterest and University of California, Berkeley, found that daily interaction with inspiring content on Pinterest helped buffer students against things like burnout and stress.
The good news is that Pinterest parental controls are fairly robust. The company recently took steps to protect minors on their site, including age verification, automatically setting accounts to private for users under 16, and additional reporting options. The minimum age for Pinterest users is 13.
There are also extra steps you can take to keep your child safe on Pinterest:
While Pinterest can be a positive creative outlet for kids, it’s not without risk. Parents should educate themselves about the potential dangers and take steps to keep their child safe on the site.
It’s a moment you’ve been dreading since you handed your child their first device: you found out they’re messaging a stranger. You freak out. Your brain jumps to the worst-case scenario. Read on to learn what to do if your child is texting someone they shouldn’t, including red flags and how to help your child text safely.
The unfortunate truth is that it’s fairly easy for kids to talk to strangers online. Here are some of the ways that might happen:
These days, most video games — both those accessed through an app like Minecraft and Roblox, as well as ones played on a console like Nintendo Switch — have an online messaging component. It’s a great way for kids to connect with friends, but it also opens them up to messaging with strangers if their account isn’t locked down.
If your child’s accounts aren’t set to private, strangers can pretty easily slide into their DMs. On Instagram, a recent privacy update means that strangers can’t message a minor’s account if they don’t follow each other. However, if your child didn’t input their age correctly, it’s possible that strangers can still send a message request.
In other cases, a stranger might comment on a post and ask your child to message them on another platform, like WhatsApp or Telegram.
If your child is a part of any group chats, others in the thread may add someone your kid doesn’t know. That stranger may be a classmate or a peer — or they may be someone your child shouldn’t associate with.
On an instinctual level, you know your child texting strangers is bad. But what exactly are the dangers? Understanding the specific concerns helps you know what to watch for.
The primary risks associated with strangers messaging children are:
Here are some warning signs that your child might be texting with a stranger:
One of the best ways you can keep your child safe online is to teach them about the risks of talking to strangers. Use this three-pronged approach of empowerment, monitoring, and support.
Give your child the tools they need to protect themselves. Explain the risks of strangers online, and teach them texting dos and don’ts, such as “don’t text with someone who makes you uncomfortable or afraid” and “do tell a trusted adult if someone makes you feel that way over text.”
Make sure your child knows what red flags to watch for, such as the person wanting to keep the friendship a secret or asking a lot of personal questions. If someone makes them feel uncomfortable, empower your child to talk to a trusted adult.
The following monitoring strategies work best when they happen together:
Be clear you’re there to support your kid through any rough spots online and offline. Encourage them to come to you if they find themselves in a text thread that concerns them, and let them know you’ll help them address it.
Texting and online messaging is a common way for nefarious actors to target kids. It’s vital that parents know the warning signs and take steps to keep their children safe.
Suppose you check your child’s phone or get an alert from your monitoring app and learn they’ve been messaging friends about drugs or looking at drug-related content online. You’ve discovered drug content on your child’s phone, but you’re probably at a loss of what to do next. Read on to learn how to spot red flags, what to say when you talk to your child, and steps to keep them safe.
You may not think that your child would ever interact with drug content, but the reality is that it just takes two clicks for kids to find drugs online. Drug dealers use social media and online storefronts to sell controlled substances — which can lead to fatal results. Around six in 10 fake prescription pills sold online contain deadly doses of fentanyl, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Here are some red flags to watch for on your child’s phone:
Drug culture has made use of emojis to communicate covertly about substances. Drug emojis might show up in messages or on social media profiles, signaling the sale and distribution of certain drugs without tripping social media filters. Click here for the DEA’s list of drug-related emojis.
If your child is messaging with an unknown number, especially if it’s been anonymized, it’s possible they’re communicating about obtaining drugs. Look at the content of the messages for drug terms or slang or references to meeting up in-person.
Look at your child’s search history for drug terms. This doesn’t necessarily mean they’re using them — it could be nothing more than teenage curiosity — but regardless, it’s worth a conversation.
If you find red flags of drug use on your child’s phone, you may notice other signs as well, such as:
Talking to your child about drug content on their phone is likely to be a hard conversation. But it can be a productive one with the right approach. Here are some tips:
You don’t need hard evidence that your child is using drugs to start a conversation. If your instinct tells you something is up, it’s time for a chat.
The first conversation should be with your child’s other parent or caregiver to get on the same page with your approach.
Try your best to remain calm when you talk to your child. Reacting from a place of extreme emotion is likely to shut down the conversation, when what you really need is open communication.
Remember that underlying everything is your love for your child and your desire to keep them safe. Let that anchor you, and be clear with your child that their safety is your number one goal.
Figuring out what led your child to use (or consider using) drugs will help inform your response. Here are a few possibilities:
A growing number of experts agree that parental monitoring is an important part of keeping children safe in the digital era. “Parental monitoring” means taking steps to supervise, guide, and protect your child online and offline.
Here are some options for monitoring your child’s phone for drug content:
Use the parental controls available on your child’s device and on apps or social media sites they frequent. This can help prevent your child from accessing drug content in the first place.
There are tools that can help you supervise your child online. BrightCanary is a monitoring app that uses AI technology to scan your child’s text messages (even deleted ones), YouTube and Google searches, and social media activity. The app will alert you to concerns dangers so you can address them together.
Make it a point to routinely sit down together to look at their device. Regular tech check-ins not only help you keep an eye on your child’s online activity, but they also help establish open communication.
Once you’ve figured out the severity of the issue, and hopefully identified the underlying cause, it’s time to turn your attention to supporting your child.
Findtreatment.gov, SAMHSA’s free helpline, or your child’s pediatrician can help connect you with resources if your child needs help quitting drugs.
If mental health issues led your child to use drugs, or if they need help with self-esteem or social-emotional issues, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has a teen and young adult helpline that can be accessed through phone, text, or chat. Findtreatment.gov and your child’s pediatrician are also good places to start.
Regularly monitoring your child’s phone can help you spot any red flags that they may be involved with drugs. If you find any warning signs, there are steps you can take to address the issue and keep your child safe.
No parent wants to come to the realization their child is sexting. Maybe you’re doing your due diligence and monitoring your child’s texts, or perhaps you’re tipped off by another parent. However it happens, that moment of, “Oh my god, my daughter is sending inappropriate messages,” feels like a punch to the gut. Read on to learn the risks of sexting and how to keep your child safe.
You’ve likely heard the term, but what is sexting? “Sexting” refers to sending or receiving sexually explicit videos, images, or text messages. It can occur on a smartphone, computer, tablet, video game, or digital camera.
Sexting is becoming more common with teens, thanks in large part to the overall increase in digital communication. In many ways, the practice has become normalized among adolescents.
Once your child sends a sext, they have no control over where it goes. Even someone they trust can easily forward it to others. What may have been intended as a relatively innocent exploration of their burgeoning sexuality can quickly and easily spiral into something much more serious.
Some of the potential consequences your child might face from sexting:
There’s no time like yesterday to talk to your teen about sexting. The best case is that you discuss it with them before it becomes an issue. But even if you’ve already discovered they’re involved in sexting, it’s never too late to have this important conversation.
Here are some tips for talking to your teen about sexting:
It’s a good idea to start talking to your child about rules and boundaries with texting etiquette as soon as they have their first phone. If they already have their own device, it’s better to talk to them now than wait until they’re knee-deep in a tricky situation.
You want your child to feel comfortable coming to you if they get caught up in sexting. The best way to create this open atmosphere is to show them that you’re comfortable talking about challenging topics. Do what you can to project calm (even if you’re actually cringing inside).
Begin by asking if they’ve heard of sexting and what they know about it. Ask if anyone has ever asked or pressured them to sext and if they’ve ever received a sext from someone.
Shaming your teen for sexting is an almost guaranteed way to shut down the lines of communication. Let them know that the desire to explore their sexuality is completely normal, but that doing so with sexting can lead to serious consequences.
In particular, be explicit that, in certain situations, sexting is considered child pornography and should be taken very seriously.
Set the expectation that your teen won’t sext and will let you know if they receive sexts so you can problem-solve together. It’s also a good idea to establish a plan for monitoring your child’s digital activity — more on that below.
Monitoring your child’s phone and social media messages is an important measure to help safeguard them against the risks of sexting. Sit down with your child periodically to look at their phone together and ask them who they’ve been messaging lately.
Monitoring apps are also a great tool in your arsenal. BrightCanary uses AI technology to monitor your child’s digital activity. In fact, it’s one of the only parental monitoring apps that tracks messages on Instagram and TikTok, as well as texts on Apple devices.
Sexting can lead to serious consequences for teens. Parents should talk to their child about the dangers of sexting and set up a plan for monitoring their online activity.
