Internet Safety for Kids and Teens: A Guide for Parents and Guardians
In today’s digital age, the internet is an integral part of everyday life, offering vast resources and opportunities for education, entertainment, and communication. But these benefits come with some hefty risks, especially for young users. Ensuring the safety of kids and teens online is a critical responsibility for parents and guardians; it’s important to help protect your children while they navigate the digital world.
Recent studies show parents now buy smartphones for children as young as 5 years old, creating some victims among users who are just learning to read. These young users are prime targets for malware infections and SMS fraud, according to Catalin Cosoi, chief security strategist at Bitdefender.
Those who protect and advocate for our children locally agree.
“My concern is for youth vulnerable to cyberbullying, sexual exploitation, or sextortion,” said Christina Dornton, clinical intervention program supervisor at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Brevard.
Between 2019 and 2021, the number of reports involving sextortion more than doubled, she said. In earlier analysis, the dominant motive of offenders was to get more explicit images of a child, but in reports from early 2022, 79% of the offenders were seeking money. *
“We need to educate parents and youth about these dangers so they can have a plan of how to act if something like that happens,” Dornton said.
A number of potential national laws to ban social media for consumers who are under age 16 have been proposed. “Youth are going to use social media whether there are bans or restrictions in place or not,” Dornton said. “Parents and youth should be educated on how to be safe online and have honest conversations about the negative things that can happen online.
Understanding the Risks
The first step in safeguarding your children is understanding the various risks they may encounter online. Cyberbullying, for example, can occur through social media, messaging apps, and online games, leading to emotional distress.
For example, a teenager might receive mean and hurtful messages on Instagram from classmates mocking their appearance, or a child could be targeted in an online gaming community where other players repeatedly kill their character and send taunting messages. Even a middle school student might face a smear campaign with false rumors spread about them via text messages and social media posts.
Inappropriate content is another significant risk, as exposure to violent, sexual, or otherwise unsuitable content can have harmful effects on young minds. A young child might stumble upon graphic images or videos while browsing on YouTube or other video-sharing platforms. Teenagers could be exposed to violent scenes in an online game rated for a much older audience, and young people may encounter explicit sexual content through a pop-up ad or mistakenly visit a website with adult material.
Online predators also pose a serious threat, using social media and chat rooms to exploit vulnerable children. An adult might pose as a teenager in a chat room to befriend a young user and gradually gain their trust, eventually asking for personal information or inappropriate photos. Predators can contact children through gaming platforms, pretending to be another player, and arrange to meet in real life. A teenager could be lured into a private messaging conversation on social media where the predator sends manipulative and exploitative messages.
Privacy issues arise when personal information is misused because children are not cautious about what they share online. For instance, a teenager might post their home address and phone number on their public social media profile, making it accessible to strangers. A child might fill out an online form with their full name, school name, and other personal details without understanding who will see the information. A young person sharing their location on a social media post makes it easy for someone to track their movements.
Scams and phishing attempts can trick children into revealing personal information or downloading malware. A child might receive an email claiming they’ve won a prize and needs to click a link and enter their personal details to claim it. Teenagers might get messages on social media from fake accounts pretending to be friends, asking for their login information. A young person might be tricked into downloading a free game from an untrustworthy site, which turns out to be malware that infects their device.
Beyond this awareness, parents and guardians can implement guidelines for their children:
- Parents can implement screen time limits to monitor and restrict access to unapproved apps
- Parents should always have passwords to access their child’s social media account at any time in order to monitor who they are following and who is following them.
- Parents can give all household screens a “curfew” by collecting devices at a designated time each night to help support healthy sleep habits.
- Parents can designate “screen zones” in their home where devices are used in a visible place and restricted from private use in bedrooms.
Ultimately, social media is here to stay and an on-going conversation with our children is the best approach. Providing information about the permanency of images as well as the exponential impact of shared images and their potential to be passed on far beyond the intended audience is necessary information.
More Tips for Keeping Kids and Teens Safe Online
Open communication is crucial. Establish a trusting relationship where your children feel comfortable discussing their online experiences. Regularly ask your child about their favorite websites and what they like to do online. Show interest in their digital world without being intrusive. Create a safe space for them to report any bullying or inappropriate messages they receive, reassuring them that they won’t be punished for sharing these issues. Share your own online experiences and challenges to normalize the conversation and demonstrate that everyone faces difficulties online.
Educate your children about privacy. Teach them the importance of keeping personal information private and explain the risks of sharing details like their full name, address, phone number, and school online. Use real-world analogies, such as not talking to strangers or giving out personal information in public, to help them understand the importance of online privacy. Set up privacy settings on their social media accounts together, showing them how to control who sees their posts and information. Role-play scenarios where someone asks for personal information online, and practice appropriate responses with your child.
Set clear rules for internet use. Create guidelines including which websites they can visit, how much time they can spend online, and the types of information they can share. Establish a daily screen time limit, such as two hours on weekdays and three hours on weekends and stick to it. Make a list of approved websites and apps that are age-appropriate and safe for them to use. Create a rule that electronic devices must be used in common areas of the house, rather than in bedrooms, to facilitate easier monitoring.
Use parental controls to monitor and restrict your children’s online activities. Set up content filters on your home internet network to block inappropriate websites and content. Use app-specific parental controls on platforms like YouTube Kids to ensure only age-appropriate videos are accessible. Regularly review the parental control settings and adjust them as your child grows and their internet use evolves.
Monitoring online activity is essential. Keep an eye on your children’s internet usage. Check the browser history and app usage reports to see which sites and apps your child is using. Follow or be friends with your child on social media platforms to keep an eye on their interactions and posts. Have regular discussions about their online friends and encourage them to avoid interacting with people they don’t know in real life.
Encourage critical thinking to help your children question the validity of information they find online and be cautious about clicking on links or downloading files from unknown sources. Show them how to verify the credibility of a website by checking the URL, looking for contact information, and reading reviews. Discuss recent news stories about online scams or fake news, highlighting the importance of skepticism and verification. Provide examples of phishing emails and fraudulent messages, explaining how to recognize and avoid them.
Discuss online etiquette with your children. Emphasize the importance of respectful and kind behavior online and remind them that their digital footprint is permanent and can have long-term consequences. Encourage your child to think before they post, considering how their words might affect others. Discuss the concept of a digital footprint and show them how their past posts and interactions can be found and scrutinized. Role-play scenarios involving online disagreements or misunderstandings, teaching them how to respond calmly and respectfully.
Stay updated on the latest internet trends, apps, and potential threats. This knowledge will help you better guide and protect your children. Subscribe to newsletters or follow blogs from reputable sources on internet safety and digital parenting. Check out groups like Wait Until Eighth, a movement advocating for parents to wait until eighth grade for children to have a smart phone. Attend workshops or webinars on internet safety to stay current with new developments and strategies. Join online parenting groups or forums where you can share experiences and learn from other parents about managing online safety.
The internet is a powerful tool that can enrich the lives of children and teens, but it also poses significant risks. By maintaining open communication, setting clear rules, and using available tools and resources, you can help ensure that your children have a safe and positive online experience.
Remember, the goal is not to restrict their access to the digital world but to guide them in navigating it responsibly and safely. Implementing these strategies will create a secure online environment for your children, allowing them to explore and benefit from the internet while minimizing the risks. Stay vigilant, stay informed, and foster an ongoing dialogue with your kids about the importance of internet safety.
*NCMEC website https://www.missingkids.org/netsmartz/topics/sextortion
Helpful links:
https://www.security.org/resources/protecting-kids-online/
https://www.techaddiction.ca/protect-children-from-online-predators.html
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/10/overcoming-the-growing-risks-to-kids-online
https://www.mcafee.com/blogs/tips-tricks/six-steps-to-protect-kids-from-harmful-online-content