Digital Safety for Parents

Establish Ground Rules

Set time limits for online activities and designate tech-free zones or times, such as during meals or before bedtime. Make sure kids know to ask permission before downloading or installing new apps or games.

Educate About Online Deceitful Persons

Teach your children that not everyone online is who they claim to be. Just as they wouldn't speak to strangers in real life, the same rule applies online. Teach them to only accept friend requests or follow requests from people they know personally. Help them understand the importance of not sharing personal details like their address, school name, or phone number online.

Use Parental Controls

Leverage in-built parental controls on devices, browsers, and operating systems to limit access to age-appropriate content. Consider third-party parental control tools that allow for monitoring and filtering online activities.

Limit Social Media and Monitor Usage

Depending on their age, think carefully before allowing them to have social media accounts. If they do use social media, help them set up privacy settings and monitor their friend requests and posts. Make sure they have a private account and know to only connect with people they know in real life. Remind them to be cautious about sharing sensitive or potentially embarrassing information, photos, or videos.

Make them Aware of Cyberbullying

Teach your child what cyber-bullying is and let them know they can always talk to you if they or someone they know is being bullied online. Encourage them to be careful what they post, avoid engaging with bullies, use private social media accounts, and block and report social media bullies. Encourage your children to treat people with respect, both online and off-line, and know what to do if your child is a bully.

Teach Safe Browsing Habits

Enable kid-friendly browsers that have pre-selected safe sites and activate safety modes (e.g., YouTube safety mode).  Encourage children to avoid clicking on suspicious links or pop-ups. Explain how these might lead to malware or phishing sites. Educate them about the importance of looking for "https://" in the URL, which indicates that the website encrypts data.

Be Mindful of the Games and Apps your Kids Use

Be aware of the apps your kids are using, and review the privacy policies and settings of each app. Make sure that your kids understand the risks of sharing personal information online, and encourage them to be cautious about what they share. Teach your kids how to participate in online gaming safely, and encourage older children to watch this video.

Learn about IoT Safety

IoT, or the Internet of Things, is the connection of everyday objects to the internet so they can communicate and share data. As more everyday objects connect to the internet, kids encounter many such devices. It's vital to teach them about risks, change default passwords, update device software, and limit unnecessary online features to ensure safety. Learn and educate your children on IoT safety.

Remind them that the Internet is Forever

Consistently remind your children that everything they post or do on the internet stays there forever, even with apps like SnapChat that appear to erase your activity. Help your child understand that what they do online can be viewed by unexpected audiences. Like a tattoo, once something is on the internet, it can be challenging or event impossible to remove, and it is possible that anyone could see it.