12 online privacy tips for parents and caregivers

Raising kids in a digital environment presents new considerations and challenges. Young people today are using technology effortlessly, and easily adapt to new connected devices. Online tools are a routine part of children’s lives, as they use them to chat, post, play and learn.

Many kids, however, do not fully understand the impact that some online activities may have on their privacy. Below are 12 tips to help you empower your children with knowledge about the implications of their privacy choices and allow them to make the most of their time online, safely.

1. Talk to your kids.

It is important to know the online spaces that your kids frequent and the devices they use to go online, to help you understand the nature of personal information that they may be sharing. Ask your kids what they like about the services and online spaces they are accessing to start the conversation. Technology changes rapidly and many children are ahead of adults in adopting new tools. By talking frequently, you will gain more insight into their activities online and any potential benefits or risks they may be facing.

If your children are under 13, explain that age limits for services exist for good reason, and accessing services that are not intended for them could lead them to harm. It’s not a good idea to lie about their age to create accounts on websites that are designed for, or restricted to older children and adults.

2. Try it out.

It is not enough to know what online spaces and devices your kids are using. To understand the nature of the personal information they are sharing, you should know how they are using and experiencing them. So, dive in. Play the online games they love, create a profile on the social media platforms they frequent, and download some music.

3. Keep up with the technology.

Many mobile devices, like smart phones, tablets and gaming consoles, can connect to the web and have video cameras. The lines between devices are blurring, and it is important to know what kind of device your child has, so that you know whether they are merely playing a game, or if they are using the Internet and sharing personal information.

You could also do some research online about the technologies they are using if you are concerned about safety, including risks to privacy.

4. Walk through account sign up and privacy settings together.

If your child is just learning about how to create accounts, go through the sign-up steps together and discuss how the information they are posting could be used – or misused – by others.

If an email address is required, consider creating one that is just used for apps or for specific types of services, such as for gaming.

Where needed, set parental controls. Most social media sites have privacy settings options that children should learn to use. Review how personal information will be collected and used and the options for limiting the sharing of personal information. Depending on your child’s capacity, modify the privacy settings yourself, or modify them together. See our tips for using privacy settings.

5. Make password protection a priority.

Children need to understand that their online information will be better protected if they use strong passwords. They should use unique passwords for each different website, account and device. Encourage them to ensure their passwords are strong (15 characters or more and a variety of letters and/or numbers). See our tips for creating and managing your passwords.

6. Emphasize the importance of protecting mobile devices.

The first thing anyone should do with a new mobile device is activate the password protection. Talk to your kids about this, and the importance of protecting the device itself – not just because it may be expensive, but because it may contain their personal information. A device that gets into the wrong hands could result in embarrassing or even malicious videos or pictures being posted online by someone else in your child’s name. Learn more about protecting personal information on your mobile devices.

7. Remind your kids that what they post online is not always private.

Your kids should understand that once they post content online, they may no longer have control over it. It can be forwarded, copied and pasted, manipulated, printed out or saved – it can remain online, in some form for a very long time. Even password-protected pages are not totally secure, and that deleting information does not mean that it is gone forever. You could also tell them that social media companies collect and use their posts and online activity for purposes such as advertising. Many young people are not aware that their personal information is being collected and used in this way. Information on how their personal information is being collected and used is explained in the service’s privacy policy.

8. Teach your kids to think before they click.

It can take only seconds to snap a photo and post it online, or to post a comment. But it can be very difficult to permanently delete that comment or photo once it is posted, as it can then be downloaded or archived by others. This is why it is so important for kids to think twice about every piece of personal information before they post it online. They should only post things that they would be comfortable with the whole world seeing. They should also ask permission before posting things about other people.

9. Stress the importance of knowing your real friends.

Kids need to know that, online, they cannot be 100% sure of who they are talking to, so they should never accept friend requests from people they do not know in real life. Online friends can end up accessing online photo albums, reading personal comments, copying and pasting information, knowing what you are doing and where you are. Remind your kids that a “friend” of a “friend” of a real-life friend is really just a stranger. For more information, see our advice, are your online friends who they say they are?

10. Teach your kids that their personal information is valuable.

Kids need to know that many people and companies want their personal information to sell or market things to them in the future. New and exciting technologies are emerging daily, but often personal information is the cost of admission. Review the personal information they often need to surrender in order to play online games, fill out an online survey or quiz, join virtual worlds or even just shop online. Discuss ways to limit that information, for example, by completing only required fields, using pseudonyms, and using incomplete information.

11. Let your kids know that you are there if they make a privacy mistake.

Stay calm if your child makes a mistake, like posting something they should not have. Help them remove the post, where possible, and talk with them about how they can avoid a similar mistake in the future. If you “freak out” or deny access to them, they may not come to you for help when they really need it in future. See our information on privacy and sexting.

12. Set a good example.

Remember, those funny back-to-school pictures of your own child that you are tempted to post can also be copied and shared, and remain online for a very long time! Just as you would respect your friends when posting photos or other items that contain their personal information, respect your kids’ personal information too. Set a good example when you are online so your kids have a good role model to look to if they are wondering what kind of information is OK to post.

For more information on talking to your kids about how their use of technology can affect privacy, visit our section on privacy education for kids.