How can parents help children stay safe online?
Short answer
Use the parental controls built into phones, consoles and app stores, keep devices in shared spaces for younger children, and talk openly about scams, strangers and sharing photos. Children who know they will not be punished are more likely to tell you when something goes wrong.
The details
Gaming and social platforms are common places for scams that offer free in-game currency in exchange for account details. Turn on MFA for children’s accounts too.
What to do
- Turn on platform parental controls and app store approvals.
- Set social accounts to private.
- Teach them to never share passwords or one-time codes.
- Agree on a "tell me first" rule for anything that feels wrong.
Terms explained
- Multi-factor authentication
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA) requires two or more kinds of proof to sign in, such as a password plus an app prompt, security key or biometric unlock of a passkey.
Sources
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