How to Talk to Kids About Staying Safe Online
What to say to children to help them learn how to navigate the digital world safely, responsibly — and independently.
Conversation starters for parents and caregivers
Helping your kids understand their right to privacy — and to make good choices when navigating the digital world — will help keep them safe. Here is some guidance on what to say during these important conversations.
Related: How to Protect Your Child's Privacy Online
Think before you post.
Anything you put online – pictures, videos, comments, things you share with others and what others post and share about you – leaves behind a trail.
Think of it as a digital footprint, and not one that is easily wiped away. Once you post something — even if you delete it later — it is hard to control what happens to it. Someone could have taken a screenshot. Even disappearing messages can be saved and shared.
Once you post something — even if you delete it later — it is hard to control what happens to it.
So before posting anything online, think carefully. Be mindful. Take a beat if you're feeling upset or angry. Refrain from spreading rumors or sharing hurtful or embarrassing stories or photos. What may seem like a harmless joke to you could be deeply hurtful to others.
Think before you share.
Think carefully about what you share with whom. Don’t share personal information like your address, phone number or bank details. And don’t share your passwords with anyone – not even with your best friends!
Remember: you have the right to privacy — and so does everybody else. It is not okay to log into other people’s accounts, use their phones without their permission or share their information or photos.
You can change the privacy settings on your social media platforms to help you control who sees your information – including your locations.
Think before you accept.
Before you accept a friend request, take a look at their profile to try to see who they are. Do you have friends in common? Are you from the same school or town? Consider accepting friend requests only from people you know in real life.
Don't ever feel pressure to accept a friend request.
And don't ever feel pressure to accept a friend request. Sometimes people pretend to be someone they are not, and it’s hard to know if they are telling the truth.
Is everything okay?
Is anything happening with you or your friends that you want to talk about? Cyberbullying is when someone is mean or hurtful online. Has something online made you upset or scared?
You can tell me anything. No matter what it is, you won’t be in trouble, and what happened is not your fault.
Do you want help?
If you ever see someone else being mistreated online, tell a trusted adult. Helping someone with a situation does not have to mean handling it alone.
Would you like me just to listen, or would you like help deciding what to do? Let’s look at our options together. We could save a screenshot, block the person or report what happened.
Learn more about how to support and protect children. Visit UNICEF USA's Parenting Resources hub
This article is based on guidance originally published by unicef.org
HOW TO HELP
There are many ways to make a difference
War, famine, poverty, natural disasters — threats to the world's children keep coming. But UNICEF won't stop working to keep children healthy and safe.
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories — more places than any other children's organization. UNICEF has the world's largest humanitarian warehouse and, when disaster strikes, can get supplies almost anywhere within 72 hours. Constantly innovating, always advocating for a better world for children, UNICEF works to ensure that every child can grow up healthy, educated, protected and respected.
Would you like to help give all children the opportunity to reach their full potential? There are many ways to get involved.
